Alumni Stories - Liana O’Cleirigh
"A lot of people get a bit intimidated by the technical aspect of Interaction Design and shy away from it, which is a shame. However, you can come into the course with absolutely no experience of coding or electronics and create meaningful and exciting interactions. It feels a bit like magic."
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Name: Liana O’Cleirigh
Current Career: Graduate Student of Global Innovation Design at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London.
Graduation Year: 2021
Discipline: BA Interaction Design
Location: Tokyo, Japan
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
After a family holiday to Disney World, I was dead set on becoming a theme park designer. Interaction Designer is not that far off.
Why did you decide to study at National College of Art & Design?
I wanted to enroll in NCAD as a mature student because I was working there at the time. NCAD had such a great reputation for producing designers. I actually applied to Product Design at first, as I didn’t fully understand how interaction design was different. But it became clear in first year that everything I wanted to design required interactive elements, particularly if I wanted my designs to be surprising or fun. A lot of people get a bit intimidated by the technical aspect of Interaction Design and shy away from it, which is a shame. However, you can come into the course with absolutely no experience of coding or electronics and create meaningful and exciting interactions. It feels a bit like magic.
How did you develop your career towards your current job or practice?
My career is still evolving.
At NCAD, my award winning Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Competition project introduced me to tackling complex wicked problems. For the RSA competition, we worked in small research teams. My project partner was Renata Dima. Renata and I have a similar work ethic, interests, and worldview. We worked really well together.
With my final year major project, I developed research into technology and the future of work. Subsequently, this research has informed almost all of my projects to date.
After NCAD, I decided to go straight into a Masters at the Royal College of Art (RCA), in London. I wanted to continue the research I had started at NCAD. I’m now pursuing my master’s degree in Global Innovation Design (GID), which allows me to dive deeper into technology but also develop a global perspective on design. The Master’s degree programme at the RCA has also allowed me to study in the Keio Graduate School of Media Design in Tokyo, which focuses heavily on futures thinking and technology. After I finish my studies in Japan, I’ll be attending The Pratt Institute in New York, working on more physical and traditional design methods. Then it’s back to England to finish my Masters degree.
What is the one experience during your time at NCAD that has informed you most in your career and work to date?
When I was in first year, before Covid, the Product Design department would bring in alumni to talk about their careers. They really helped me understand what kind of work I might be expected to do. Funnily enough, a lot of the alumni who studied Product Design (or Industrial Design as it was called previously) were now working in Interaction Design or UX. It really made me realize that this was a fast-growing field with tons of room for innovation and exploration. It played a big role in why I switched degrees.
If you were chatting with current NCAD students today what is the one piece of advice you would offer?
Presenting your work can be scary but there’s no better environment than with your classmates. You’re all in the same boat. The more you practice the better you get. This preparation is essential for when you’re asked to present to someone critical later on.
Be open and generous with your work. Remember, no idea springs from your head fully formed. Getting feedback from others and discussing your ideas makes them better. Also, be mindful that you will all benefit from lifting each other up. Always try to help a teammate if they are struggling because you will all come out of the process better if you do.
What new opportunities have developed for you as a result of changes in work practice during the Covid pandemic?
The impact of the Covid pandemic really hit home as I was going into final year. Due to the frequent lockdowns, student time in the NCAD studios and workshops was quite uncertain. We had no idea if or when we would be locked out of college. So, I decided to not rely on having any studio access at all. I made a conscious decision to only work on digital projects like apps and websites, which meant I could work remotely. It pushed my work more into a digital design direction. It meant I had a lot of time to practice my digital skills. Now, I’m much happier because of this decision making experience.
