Alumni Stories - Pacifico Borza
"I decided that achieving a masters qualification would point me in the right direction, especially towards a career in UX. Studying Interaction Design at NCAD was the design reboot I needed in terms of knowing what opportunities are out there and understanding what employers are looking for."
Name: Pacifico Borza
Current Career: Interaction/UX Design
Graduation Year: 2020
Discipline: Interaction Design
Location: Dublin
What career path did you want to follow as a child?
I had a few ideas as a child, but the idea of becoming an inventor outweighed the others, as I have always enjoyed creating and solving puzzles. The notion of creating something that would be used by somebody and would make them happy always resonated with me.
Why did you decide to study at National College of Art & Design?
I had a few friends who were in NCAD and they told me great things about the college. I was told how open-minded the lecturers are in Interaction Design, and how they embrace your approach and opinions in terms of how you work as a designer. I really appreciated the idea of being able to express myself as a designer and use the time during my studies to be as experimental as I could. I was also told that the course is designed to help you learn from your peers, and how each person who attends the course is carefully chosen to develop a collective of diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Coming from a product design background, I was excited by the idea of working and studying with people who had different backgrounds, such as software engineering, fashion design, architecture, etc.
How did you develop your career towards your current practice?
After my undergraduate studies, in which I studied Product Design, I moved to Los Angeles where I worked as a Design Intern. From this experience, I understood how challenging it is to find a substantial job opportunity. When I came back to Ireland, I decided that achieving a masters qualification would point me in the right direction, especially towards a career in UX. Studying Interaction Design at NCAD was the design reboot I needed in terms of knowing what opportunities are out there and understanding what employers are looking for. After my studies, I was able to develop and maintain a portfolio that I am confident to show to potential employers.
What is the one experience during your time at NCAD that has informed you most in your work to date?
It would have to be my experience working on a six-week project at the Pillar Centre in the Mater Hospital. My class and I, along with the Service Design class, were required to research and develop solutions for a brief given to us by the Mater Hospital. This experience broadened my perspective of how applicable Interaction Design can be in a real world context, by working closely with patients and the staff within a hospital environment. Conducting research and identifying grounded human insights to ultimately enhance the user experience helped me to further understand how a designer can coexist within any context.
If you were chatting with current NCAD students today what is the one piece of advice you would offer?
I would say, be open to learn new things and do not be afraid to share what you know or what you think. You are here to learn, and you will learn a lot from your peers.
Given the global turmoil and change accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, what in your opinion are the opportunities for those in creative industries?
In terms of design, there are still many opportunities within the creative field, as a large portion of the work we do is screen-based. With countless apps, services and material available online, there will always be demand for creatives.
Portfolio Links: https://pacificoborzadesign.webador.ie
Find out more about studying at NCAD
Follow NCAD
NCAD Twitter @NCAD_Dublin
NCAD Instagram @ncad_dublin
NCAD Facebook @NCAD.Dublin
