Hannah Cattanach: From architect to UX Designer

It was late 2022 when Hannah decided to trade in her career as an architect to embark on a new challenge. Up to that point, she had spent five years studying and five years at architectural practices in London and Zürich before stumbling across a concept that she just couldn’t shake off: the world of user experience.

Fast forward 24 months and Hannah is now a graduate of Falmouth’s User Experience Design MA (Online) course and is enjoying exploring big, clunky, real-world problems with UX.  

As part of her Final Major Project (FMP) on the course, Hannah developed a portal (to support architects and built environment professionals) that mixes building regulations with the planning submission process, combining her experience in architecture with the new user-centred design skills gained from the course.   

We caught up with her to learn more about the project, her experience of the course itself, and what it was that first piqued her interest in studying UX design in more detail.  

You studied architecture and went into that for the last few years. What made you want to study UX at master's level?  

I did my bachelor's and master's in architecture in Aberdeen. After graduating in 2017, I worked in London as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant. I then moved to Zürich in Switzerland shortly before the pandemic and worked as an architect for another few years. But I was slowly realising that architecture wasn't for me and that I needed to change career tracks. I ended up browsing a list of job titles in Switzerland and came across ‘UX design’ and had no idea what it was. Six months of internet deep-dives later, I found myself wanting more and stumbled across an online advert for this course.  

When did you realise you had a passion for design and/or UX?  

I've always had a passion for design, and an interest in the design side of architecture rather than construction. It was only after I embarked on the UX course that I realised I had also always been interested in usability. Looking back at my last master's thesis project, it was barely about architecture but focused on the usability of public spaces!  

We would love to know more about what you have been working on, and your latest project. What can you tell us about it?  

My final major project focussed on the Swiss Building Regulations Portal, which is a single platform that integrates building regulations and the planning submission process. It was important to me to include emerging technology like AI agents to enhance the search and compliance check processes. 

I am very intrigued by big, clunky, real-world problems, so I enjoyed that for this project I had the time to really dig into my problem area. Building regulations are one of the more unglamorous topics, but many people have to use them in their daily work, and it is a constant struggle. But, because it is such a complex topic, it provided some interesting usability challenges.   

After the previous modules, I was ready for the challenge. The toughest part was sticking to a manageable project scope; Based on user interviews, I had so many intriguing avenues to follow! But it wasn’t feasible to address them all in a short, one-man-band project. I won't be showing it off to anybody, but the architects I interviewed for final ease-of-use testing were eager for it to become an actual project!  

Who would you recommend the UX course at Falmouth to?  

Someone with an interest in both design and research. While you can have an interest in one, you really need your feet in both camps. Also, ideally, someone who works part-time or less. It is intense if you work full-time!  

Do you have any other projects coming up that you're working on?  

I am working on getting into a UX Research Fellowship Program with a focus on AI and emerging tech. Companies seem to be hiring exclusively for senior positions right now, so I'm trying to get my foot in the door in any way I can.