What inspired your Showcase design in AI, and how did you develop it? 

With AI playing an increasing role in digital banking, user trust is incredibly fragile. I wanted to figure out how AI can fix broken trust through its post-error apologies. I designed a mock banking chatbot using Figma, ran focus groups and usability tests, and had 24 participants test the chatbot across 18 financial scenarios where it purposely gave bad advice followed by different types of explanations. Measuring trust before and after helped me gather rich data on how users react to automated errors. 

What were the biggest challenges you faced, and how did your studies help? 

Time management was my biggest hurdle especially underestimating how long qualitative data analysis would take using affinity mapping. However, the guidance of my supervisor and the practical research skills built throughout my Master's programme, like conducting a systematic literature review to spot this exact market gap, helped me navigate the challenge. 

What are your hopes for how visitors will interpret your research? 

Rather than a physical product, my outcome is a set of practical design guidelines for AI creators. My results showed that over-explaining a mistake actually highlights an AI's incompetence and decreases trust. Instead, a good AI apology needs to be concise, use specific numbers to prove it understands the user's account, and explicitly promise to learn from the mistake for next time. 

How do you feel about showcasing your work, and what are your career ambitions next? 

I’m really looking forward to sharing these findings to get UX designers and banking professionals thinking differently about automated conversations.  

After graduation, I will be joining IBM as an Associate Design Consultant. This project and my degree completely changed the way I approach user testing and problem-solving, which I’ll definitely take forward into my new role. 

How does the programme empower tomorrow's UX leaders in service design? 

Studying User Experience and Service Design at Loughborough gives you the ideal blend of academic rigour and hands-on, real-world application, whether you are jumping straight from your undergraduate degree or balancing other commitments like Brandon. The University provides expert supervision and a supportive environment that empowers you to tackle major, contemporary challenges like building trust in AI. With a curriculum designed to sharpen your critical analysis, user-testing, and problem-solving skills, Loughborough equips you with the confidence, practical insights, and career momentum to step straight into exciting industry roles. 

Brandon’s research and visuals will be featured alongside other pioneering postgraduate work at the upcoming PGT Showcase online launching on 2 November 2026. In the meantime, for more information about the programme, visit our Postgraduate study pages.