Hannah Englishby

I grew up in a tiny village in Northamptonshire where the thought of reliable public transport was an unattainable myth. I’d spend my summers digging up my garden finding fossils (sheep teeth and tea spoons), so naturally I went on to study Archaeology and History at University. I took this a step further (or further back in historical terms), and completed a Masters in Egyptology to culminate my academic career.

Now onto the professional bit. I found my way into the wonderful world of literary events with Blackwell’s Bookshop (AKA the best bookshop in the world), and from there ventured into corporate training events with Gemba after moving to London. Let me tell you, setting up a book display in an Oxford college is a world away from hosting business leaders in Virtual Reality. I then worked my way up to being the Content Design Lead, which has given me the opportunity to explore how people learn.

I discovered that when it comes to learning styles, there is a lot of emphasis on how children learn, yet adults are expected to sit in front of a presentation for 2 hours and try not to fall asleep. That’s why my approach to learning design is centred on empathy – it’s not about how I want to teach you, it’s about how you want to learn. I firmly believe digital storytelling is a powerful tool for making content stick, especially for helping turn abstract or complex ideas into something you can see, feel, and relate to. Whether it’s a virtual factory tour, a clickable comic, or a drag-and-drop puzzle, I design experiences that speak to the person on the other side of the screen.