Miles Williams

College

London College of Communication

Person Type

Alumni

Biography

Interview

What attracted you to postgraduate study, and MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures?
Prior to joining the course, I graduated from LCC's BA (Hons) Illustration and Visual Media. During my contextual studies on this bachelors degree,
I was particularly interested in social agendas. My contextual and theoretical studies project ended up being about feminist movements in Japan; the challenges they are facing now and whether any improvements had been made.

What experience did you have prior to joining the course?
Before joining the course, I had one year experience completing multiple projects within the creative industry. These included working on graphic design publication materials, production editing, visual advertisements, and UX & UI designs.

Can you tell us a little bit about your final major project?
My final major project focused on the rise of online gaming participation and activity of ‘Loot Box’ and ‘Gacha’ mechanics encouraging betting-like behavior across multiple platforms since the impact of Covid-19.

Covid-19 continues to impact student’s financial incomes. The pandemic also caused a lot of traditional sports to move from physical to digital simulations, which increased the presence of eSports to new focus groups.

For example, the Premier League hosted an eSports tournament which current professional football competed in a FIFA 20 tournament as well as Formula One. Meanwhile, the use of online gaming, video streaming and betting is rising within the student demographic. This gaming platform is seen as a route to generate income, however not without risk of developing problem gambling and addiction.

Did the course provide opportunities to engage with industry?
Yes! We had a really diverse range of guest speakers from different practices within other industries.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking of studying the course, what would it be?
My advice is ‘Just do it’, this it's very intense. You have multiple deadlines, multiple projects and if you have other commitments, then you need to be organised and productive. Don't slack and you'll seek the rewards.

What was the most important thing you learnt from studying MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures?
The importance of data - what new data can you obtain? Secondary research is fine, it's great, but it's not necessarily what you should be looking for. WE want new research. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking, and there's no pressure for you to be the next pioneer. You have to be confident and back-up your decisions through primary research and justify it.

Why would you recommend studying your course to others?
If you're really interested in social issues and want to implement design to bring change to society, this course is for you. For me, it's about giving back to the community, and for them to have a voice. I'm a big believer of co-design and better ethical practice.

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