In the final capstone module of Hyper Island's Master's in Digital Management program, we work on an Industry Research Project; a practical, industry-focused equivalent to a traditional thesis.

We are encouraged to have a partner to carry the research forward. Alas, it wasn’t an easy journey for me to find one. I received rejections and silence; I felt stuck in limbo. I wished I had a client with a clearly defined problem space; it could have been easier, and I might have completed my project and studies with more ease.

I didn’t expect to find myself practicing resilience here 😃

I realized this mirrors a common situation I’ve faced working in a startup, where the path for what’s next isn’t always clear. The discomfort of uncertainty is real; you have to keep moving through the gaps, imperfections, and messiness, connecting what you can and making sense of what’s there.

The fun part is that I get to explore what I’m truly interested in. But that also comes with its own challenge; everything feels interesting, and it’s hard to kill your darlings.

I’m glad I’m in a better position of my research project today 🤞

Thank you to everyone who contributed by sharing an industry perspective, and to my lead, Rebecca, and my supervisor, Mike, for their support.

I’m still looking for a partner from design higher education to help validate and give feedback on a future-competency framework for UX/Interaction Designers in the era of AI.

Image Credit: Teo Georgiev - To Hope