Our PhD course will allow you to become an expert in a specialist area and gain high-quality research training in Design. Your PhD can be taken full-time (three years standard, four years maximum) or part-time (five years standard, seven years maximum). We also offer a PhD by Distance Learning. Your research will be guided by supervisors with whom you'll have regular meetings throughout your PhD. Your supervisors will help you put in place an initial plan, provide guidance on your progress, discuss your findings, and set out your plans for the next stage of research. During your first year you'll work on a plan for your PhD project as well as a bibliography and will also develop a detailed research proposal with a literature review. This work will be submitted to a panel of examiners who will assess it and provide you with feedback and advice on the progress of your research to help ensure you are fully prepared for the next stage of your doctoral degree. The further years are mostly spent focus on writing your thesis which is examined by two academics (one external to the University). You'll discuss and defend your findings in a formal oral examination called a viva which is a way to further expand on your research and demonstrate your expertise in your chosen area of study.<br><br>In the Experience Design research group we focus on the quality of user experience when designing products, processes and services. This involves designing with users and/or measuring the user experience. Staff specialising in Co-Design work within varied community settings, both internationally and locally to better understand the specific design problems experienced by people. By designing with people rather just for people we, together, produce solutions that respect the needs of the end users at an authentic level. This method enables rich insights that steer key design decisions. We also teach and supervise co-design methods at both MA and PhD level. In order to measure user experience, the School has invested heavily in eye‐tracking, EEG (electroencephalography), and rapid‐capture camera systems that are being used to understand how users interact with the world and how consumers make purchase decisions.