Internship @Workfront

Introduction

During the summer of 2018, I worked at Workfront as a UX research/design intern. Throughout my time at Workfront, I worked on building a culture of UX research, refining design system components, and designing admin features for Workfront’s new DAM (digital asset management) product.

Key Takeaways

Takeaway 01

Design In The Open

Keeping your head down and mouth shut as a designer will only hurt you in the end. To gather feedback from developers, PMs, and other team members, you need to design in the open by constantly sharing design concepts as you create them. You can do this through Slack channels or other forms of communication. This openness will allow the product team to build a consensus around your idea and keep you involved throughout the product development cycle.

Takeaway 02

None of Us Have All the Answers

Admitting "I don't know" is not a sign of stupdity but shows that you are humble. As an intern, it can be very tempting to act like you know everything but in reality, no one has all the answers. Create a mindset of "I don't know, but I'm ready and willing to discover the answer with my team." This willingness to admit you don't know everything can bring trust and curiosity to your team.

Takeaway 03

Don't Always Jump at the First Idea

When working under a strict timeline, it can be easier to simply move forward with the first idea that comes to mind. During my internship, I found it valuble to use activities such as crazy-eights to come up with more than one idea. After coming up with ideas, talk about the pros & cons of each and then determine your next steps.

My Successes

Although I wasn’t able to see the full outcome of my work, this is what my mentor had to say about me in the brief time we worked together:

“Jacob was my UX Research intern for one whole month. In that month alone I saw him come to understand the practical application of research elements that are easy to read about in an article but different in real life. He was fearless in his approach to hard problems I gave him to work on. The only thing that surpassed his natural talent at understanding users was his work ethic. This is the kind of person companies should be in a bidding war over to hire. If he applies for a job you post, grab him before it’s too late.”

- Trae Winterton, UX Researcher @Workfront