My first design internship came at a really exciting time. I put a lot of time into developing projects, building a portfolio, submitting applications to businesses, getting turned down, and eventually getting some offers. I was undoubtedly excited, but I was also really anxious. Partly because I had no idea what to anticipate or what they had in store for me. I nevertheless wanted to share some insights I’ve gained since finishing my first design internship.
The work involved working on 2 separate projects in an Agile setup.
Quarterly wrap: an intuitive employee and manager experience platform that aims to provide a simple, and fun process not just for the HR team but also its employees.
I was part of the core product team as a UX/UI designer and my role included coming up with design systems, strategizing possible flows, rapid prototyping, wireframes, user testing, participating in brainstorming sessions, scrum meetings, and designing the UI screens for developer hand-offs. With constant iterations through user testing, I could craft an effective and redefined the HR solution.
Whitelabel Movie Booking : The project involved creating a Whitelabel solution for cinema and movie theatre owners so that it helps create traffic organically to these cinema chains. This will help in generating BMS revenue in the form of transactions thereby generating revenue.
The learning curve was definitely existing for me but here are 5 things I learned through my internship that I carry forward with me.
- Design process is not rigid
The design process is not as rigidly formulaic as schools would have you believe.
Since I believed it was something we were judged on during interviews, I was surprised to hear that there is no “perfect” design process. To be honest, we’re all learning as we go. Your ability to adapt may be very different depending on which organisation you work for. Depending on the scale of the project and the resources available, your method for one project may differ from another. Relax and don’t worry about having the “perfect” process; it’s not as rigid as what you learned in school.
2. Design is never done in silos
Communication and constant feedback are some things I initially struggled with but then I understood how to actually never get attached to your own designs as they are highly likely to get only better with more feedback and turnarounds. Constant feedback sessions with the team made my designs more richer and well informed.
3. Imposter syndrome exists
I felt this way because, especially in comparison to extremely seasoned designers, I wasn’t sure if I was doing things “right.” But I understood that everyone is probably still learning as they go along and that nobody always knows exactly what they’re doing.
I wanted to bring this up because, in my opinion, it’s a subject that, although being a widely shared sentiment based on talks I’ve had with other interns and full-time workers, doesn’t get enough attention.
4. Guess less
After learning about the design problems, there is a constant inclination to go right into the solutions, which results in subpar design outcomes. To better form the actual design difficulties, try to make less assumptions and pay more attention to the user and business elements.
5. Empathize, Empathize and Empathize:
Empathy is one of the core elements of the design process. Spend as much time you could to understand the user’s perspective and context in and out.
After my internship, do I really believe I know everything? Definitely not! If anything, this internship has made me more aware of how much I still need to learn and how much I’ve already learned. Keep your curiosity and humility.
In summary, there is still so much to discover! Shoutout to everyone at Bookmyshow who I had the pleasure of working with in the summer.
