Logica Hires Alumni and Launches New Lab in Madeira
André Dória and Nuno Laginha are two alumni from the dual degree Professional Master of Human-Computer Interaction program, offered by the Universidade da Madeira and Carnegie Mellon University. Both finished their Professional Master in December 2009, and were hired by Logica a few months later to develop a new business area in Madeira: Logica Service Design Lab.
Before joining the Professional Masters program, Dória and Laginha studied diverse areas. Dória is from Software Engineering (Universidade da Madeira) and Laginha is from Communications and Multimedia Design (Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra). This multidisciplinary focus is one of the most important advantages of the Professional Master of Human-Computer Interaction, which joins people from different professional areas and cultures and combines their knowledge and experiences.
“The multidisciplinary and diversity of cultures of the participants in this master ensured that the growth of my professional skills would be accompanied by a personal growth,” said Dória, “which allows me to be a good employee and a “team player.”
A few months after finishing the degree program, Dória and Laginha went to an interview in Logica. “During my interview for the job,”said Dória, “I was impressed with the way that Logica looks at service design and the importance of human-computer interaction. I felt very proud going from a Professional Master to a company that works in the areas of utilities, telecommunications, mobility and industry.”
Currently, Dória and Laginha are consultants in the company. They are also developing a new Research and Development business area: Logica Service Design. They work on the implementation of procedures of usability, contextual research, and finding new opportunities for consumer services, interface design, and prototyping of innovative concepts that can be de-monstrated to partners and customers from Logica. “Our intervention is transversal to the different business units,” said Laginha, “however being more engaged in the area of energy and ‘Utilities.’”
For Dória his experience in the professional master was “intense and challenging,” because it gave him the opportunity to work in an area that he admired, and also to work with the best of the best. For Nuno Laginha, this experience was “absolutely fantastic! I experienced moments which will stay in my memory forever.”
To be a Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program Alumnus…
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“I am very proud to be a Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program alumnus because we belong to an “elite” of Portuguese students who have successfully completed a top Masters worldwide. This is very gratifying and reinforces the value of dedication and effort undertaken. This experience was very rewarding, from the contact with colleagues and teachers of different nationalities and backgrounds, from whom I learned a lot, to the unique opportunity to study in one of the world’s best universities. I also emphasize the spirit of mutual help, friendship and professionalism among colleagues, in particular the Portuguese.” – Nuno Laginha, Alumni of the MHCI program |
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“To be an alumni of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program is to be a part of a group of people who went through similar experiences. I perso-nally feel that I won, that I crossed barriers and that I belong, with all the credit, to a group of extraordinary people.” – André Dória, Alumni of the MHCI program |
September, 2010
