Christopher Murphy took some time out at HybridConf 2015 to tell us about interaction design, Ireland’s thriving design industry, and the need to move on from STEM to STEAM.

Over the years, graphic design has moved from paper to the screen and from a static experience to one that users constantly engage with through digital interfaces, which is all the more reason for designers and developers to get together at an event such as HybridConf.

Designers of apps and web interfaces now need to think in terms of interactive design, which is all about the movement between states in a user interface.

With a wealth of design experience behind him, Christopher Murphy from Belfast School of Art, University of Ulster, has grown with the times to become a senior lecturer in interactive design. But, when it comes to good design, Murphy believes the secret is “timelessness”.

“For me, speaking as someone who’s got over 20 years of experience, I think moving away from trends towards things that last [makes good design],” he said.

As an educator, Murphy is passionate about bringing a focus on design into the curriculum.

“I think arts, the creativity, needs to be part of the curriculum and the focus on just science, technology, engineering and maths [STEM] is missing a huge amount of artistic input,” he said.

“If we look at the rise of the creative industries internationally, I think we are making a mistake not putting that A into STEAM.”

Words by Elaine Burke