Caoimhe Kavanagh

Anyone who has embarked on a career change knows that while it’s a huge privilege to be able to take on, it’s still quite spooky and overwhelming. For me, it was the unknown and feeling out of control of my career trajectory. At the risk of sounding cheesy - looking back now, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

To give a bit of my background, I studied psychology after finishing school and subsequently two masters in Cognitive Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology. I worked predominantly with patients with neurodegenerative diseases, assessing their cognitive profiles. I went on to spend 2 years on the Irish Motor Neurone Disease team in Trinity College Dublin, working clinically and on a research basis with patients and their families.

Throughout this time, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that was always in the back of my mind; I wanted to pursue a more creative career path. Having designed informally and as a hobby for family and friends for years, I decided to study Graphic Design at night after my work days in 2019. Feeling I was on the right path but also wanting to somehow integrate my years in Psychology, I knew UX Design was where I wanted to be, as it lay at the intersection of Design and Psychology.

I began working part-time as a UX Designer at a SAAS platform, which was equal parts exciting and scary as I was quite literally learning the hard skills and tools on the job. I have thrown myself into everything I do in life, and I really strengthened my “I’ll figure it out” attitude during this time. It was so enjoyable but I began to carve out what I knew was my dream role; designing at an agency. I applied to work at Miyagami as a UX/UI Designer in October 2022 and I was over the moon when I was offered the role.

After accepting the job offer at Miyagami, I sadly very suddenly lost my older brother. For me during these very difficult times, the Miyagami office has been the place where I can delve into our projects and use my work as a creative outlet as I navigate grief. I have learned an immeasurable amount, not only about Design and Development but also about myself as a Designer, and how I can better help craft meaningful and exciting products for our clients.

My background in Psychology helps me use my knowledge of the brain and human behaviour to help gain a deep understanding of client needs and our users while creating engaging, lasting products for clients. I look forward to waking up on a Monday morning, ready for a new week of challenges, the (many) laughs we have in the office and our wide range of lunchtime discussions about anything and everything.