Alumni Interview with Laurence Berry, Interaction Designer

Laurence works as an Interaction Designer for the Government Digital Service, helping to build simple, efficient services.

What kind of tasks do you work on in your job?

As an interaction designer I plan how users navigate and use digital products. I then code prototype services that inform the development of the product. Our team often have discussions about things such as how a checkbox should look or how to make part of a service easier for people using assisted technology. We regularly go through notes from testing designs with users in the lab and discuss what worked and what didn’t.

How has your creative practice evolved since studying at NUA?

I’ve become more focussed on designing digital products and services. Learning to code has definitely helped. I’ve also been involved in hackathons where people of all levels of skill work together to solve real world problems in just one or two days. This has given me the confidence to rapidly prototype and test new ideas.

Do you have any tips for budding creatives in your field?

It’s really important to get to know people in the industry. If you’re interested in designing for virtual reality, find a VR meet up and find out how other people are making a success of it.

Why is your particular practice important to the creative industries?

As more people expect to be able to access services digitally, the demand for people who can design simple, useable experiences will continue to grow. It is hard to predict whether people in the future are going to be interacting with products through a screen, headset or by voice but understanding the fundamental principles of design is always going to be important.

Laurence’s work is available to view on his website.