Gary Kelly
My time at Maynooth was rewarding, both academically and socially. I fully embraced the student experience, getting involved in clubs and societies which gave me great opportunities to meet new people. That said, it was the connections I made with my classmates that had the biggest impact. We spent countless hours collaborating on projects and supporting each other in the workshop, building lasting friendships along the way. In terms of personal highlights, receiving Student of the Year 2022 was definitely up there for me. I also had the opportunity to represent MU at the ESB Inter-College Challenge, where I worked alongside students from Maynooth against other universities from across Ireland.
Maynooth taught me a wide range of valuable lessons - both technical and personal. While I came to learn about product design, software tools, and design frameworks, the most impactful lesson I took away was the importance of stepping outside my comfort zone. In the early days, I didn’t know many people, so I had to actively put myself out there whether in class or through extracurricular activities. Learning how to network and connect with others became a key skill that’s benefited me ever since. These conversations and connections helped me grow in confidence, exposed me to new perspectives, and ultimately shaped the way I approach both my career and life today.
Don’t be afraid to push yourself or challenge the boundaries of what’s expected. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was that it's often more effective to lead with initiative than to wait for approval. When I had a new idea, I found it much more productive to explore it through experimentation and show tangible results. This often created more engaging conversations than simply asking for permission upfront. Of course, it’s important to be respectful and responsible but remember, university isn’t like secondary school. The dynamic between students and lecturers is much more collaborative. You’re encouraged to think independently and contribute to the conversation. Lecturers appreciate when you bring thoughtful perspectives to the table over when you aim to just tick boxes for grades.
Please tell us about your career journey so far (including your current role/position/field)
Shortly after graduating, I moved to London in the hopes of finding a job in design. It was daunting, but when the opportunity for short-term accommodation came up, I decided to go for it to see what would happen. The job hunt was more challenging than I expected, but I secured a design internship which I was delighted. After completing the internship, I continued my search and landed my first full-time role as a Junior Product Designer at an emerging technology consulting firm. I was fascinated by the work, and although I would’ve taken almost any opportunity at that time, I was lucky that it aligned with my interests. I stayed in that role for two years before the company, like many in the tech industry at that time, was hit by a wave of redundancies. Navigating the job market during a time of widespread layoffs was incredibly tough. After a three moth search (which felt much longer) I was offered a Product Design role at Midnight, a company building a next-generation zero-knowledge blockchain focused on privacy. Being here for a full year, it's an exciting space to be working in, and I feel very lucky to be contributing to something so cutting-edge and meaningful.
What do you find most interesting/challenging about your job?
One of the most interesting parts of my role is working on something completely new, designing a product that has never existed before, with components that are entirely original. Being part of that innovation is exciting, but it also brings about its own unique challenges. Because there’s no existing product to benchmark against, we don’t have established best practices or direct user feedback to guide our decisions in the early design stages. This means we often rely on educated assumptions and input from internal stakeholders until we can validate our ideas through user testing. Our goal is always to minimise the need for major changes after testing, but working in such uncharted territory makes that a constant balancing act.
What are the key insights gained during your time at MU that have helped you in your career journey? And what advice would you give to someone starting out or interested in your career or field? Please consider tactics such as networking, creative job searches, using the career centre, social media presence etc
One of the key learning from my time at Maynooth and a principle I still live by as a designer is the phrase “kill your darlings.” It’s a well-known expression in design that reminds me not to become too attached to my initial ideas. Embracing feedback and being open to critique is essential to iterating and improving. It’s this that leads to better, more user-centric solutions and will ultimately make you a better designer. For anyone looking to break into UX/UI design, one of the best things you can do is learn Figma. It’s the industry standard for digital design, and having a grasp of the basics before starting a role will give you a head start. It’s free to use, beginner-friendly, and there are countless tutorials on YouTube.
Anything else you'd like to share with us?
Be brave in your design process. Take risks. Some will pay off, and some won’t, and that’s completely okay. Growth comes from experimentation and reflection. You don’t need to have all the answers on day one. Ask questions. Ask until you run out of them. Never feel like you should already know everything; curiosity is one of your greatest tools as a designer.