This article first appeared on Forbes.com.
I was as happy as a clam when I first heard that I was selected to become part of the Forbes Summer Internship program. This opportunity came after I’ve been perusing my goal as an Interaction designer for almost two years. After couple years working as a graphic designer in the field, I decided to pack my bag and continue my study to become an interaction designer. During my days at ArtCenter College of Design, many people have asked me why I chose this path? After eleven weeks of working at Forbes, I have found my answer.
As an interaction designer, I have a strong desire in understanding human behaviors and I believe that’s the key to creating a seamless user experience. Therefore, a well-designed user experience has always fascinated me. My role at Forbes is to work closely with project managers and design team to create the user-friendly design for mobile and web products. I was lucky enough to participate in some of the recent major projects such as Forbes Career page,Digital style guide page, and Level Up Webinar. I have also attended many productive meetings that I found really enjoyable. My personal favorites are the Product technology and product developments meetings. I was amazed by the teams’ in-depth explanation of their projects and how it will benefit the company. The meetings also help us connect with other departments and work towards the same goal of creating a great user experience.
Besides from the meetings, I have gotten the chance to work with the product and design team, which allowed us to work together and get a project created from start to finish. I have learned it is okay to take a step back on projects, take a deep breath because the perfect project requires countless efforts from all different departments and every vision is valuable in the final outcome of a project.
The last eleven weeks as an intern has been invaluable to me and has given me an in-depth insight of what it is like to work in a media based industry, I have learned a great deal about the business and I’ve managed to bring my own vision to it. Once again, thank you, Forbes, for giving me this great opportunity.