As a child, 2016 alumna Tania Ortega dreamt of studying at a renowned university. After completing her BA in Industrial Design in Mexico, Tania decided to pursue her dream, leading her to Edinburgh College of Art to study Design Informatics - MFA.

Tell us about your time at ECA

One of my childhood dreams was to accomplish postgraduate studies at a renowned university, and when I finished my bachelor's degree, the University of Edinburgh was the perfect option to pursue that.

The Design Informatics - MFA programme had everything I was looking for, a perfect combination of technology, art, computing sciences and human factors. My time at ECA was very challenging, mind-blowing, and fun but what I cherish the most are all the friendships I made and the amazing and talented people I met.

As part of the programme, I had the opportunity to do a summer internship at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) at the Innovation Centre, which was a fascinating experience as it was the first time I had worked with a company as large and well known as RBS. This internship later became a full time job that allowed me to grow as a professional, as a designer and as a person – and it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn't studied Design Informatics.

Tell us about your experiences since leaving

Leaving ECA was a difficult moment but I knew it was time for me to go and gain other experiences and apply all my knowledge into the real world. Design Informatics and ECA gave me strong foundations to build a career in User Experience (UX) Design, as well as providing me with tools, skills and the mind-set to successfully carry out my work as a UX designer.

My biggest achievements since leaving ECA are all the different and very interesting projects I have had the opportunity to work on and the satisfaction I gained by completing them.

My journey is just starting, I hope to have a long and successful career in UX design and maybe in the future I can come back to school and continue my studies, and in that case I would choose ECA again without doubt.

Alumni wisdom

My advice to students that are starting their studies at ECA is to enjoy their time there, create meaningful memories, amazing experiences, and lifetime relationships. Work hard but give space for exploration, and this is a perfect time to find yourself and focus on what you really like in terms of professional career. Take advantage of this time!

To those leaving ECA, sometimes what the future holds seems uncertain but with eagerness and preparation, the road becomes less rough. Be prepared to apply your knowledge and challenge yourself, and don't be afraid to be unique and show the world how confident you are.