Uncovering Insights: My Workhuman Internship
Hello! My name is Laura. I enjoy drawing, collecting vinyl, travelling, and more in my spare time.
As part of my degree in Interaction and User Experience Design at IADT, we were given the opportunity to pursue an internship for semester 2 of our third year in order to advance our skills and knowledge in a professional working environment.
I chose to apply for Workhuman because I felt that the company culture aligned with my values as a designer, such as respect for all, diversity, and inclusion. I was intrigued by the idea of recognising others for their good work and personal milestones as the focus of the company’s products, as I personally feel it's important to celebrate people in a meaningful way for a job well done or a major life event.
As a product research intern, I have worked on a large variety of projects, including conducting usability tests on prototype designs, accessibility testing, survey making, research analysis, and creating research reports on behalf of the design and marketing teams. I enjoyed the wide variety of tasks because it kept me on my toes, and I felt like I could learn something new every day.
My favourite part of research is being given the opportunity to meet many interesting people, listen to different perspectives, and take part in engaging discussions about Workhuman’s products. As part of my internship, I’ve participated in a series of engaging workshops about a wide range of topics including conducting user interviews, teamwork and more. We even got to enjoy some donuts at the end!
I also enjoy the problem-solving that is needed to analyse feedback and suggest potential improvements based on the evidence we uncover. I find it incredibly rewarding to know that the insights gained over the course of a research project could be used to improve the user’s experience of Workhuman's products and make them accessible to all.
I believe that I have significantly improved my writing abilities in terms of script writing, reporting, and sharing concise critical analysis that anyone in the company can use to inform their future projects. I have also improved my skills in terms of conducting user interviews and usability tests, which is a critical skill needed for a researcher.
My team has been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout my internship. I felt like I was constantly encouraged to learn and grow, and I felt that after every meeting I learned a new concept about research or a new tool to carry it out. I feel that my knowledge of UX methodologies has greatly expanded since my time in college. Overall, everyone on the team has been extremely helpful and has provided constructive feedback when requested on my work.
If I were to give any tips to anyone considering an internship at Workhuman, I would recommend that you make sure that your CV and portfolio are up-to-date and showcase a wide variety of your skills. Also, make sure to read up on Workhuman as a company, their products, and their company culture.
I highly recommend applying for an internship at Workhuman; the culture is very friendly and supportive, and it's a fantastic way to get hands-on experience as a researcher. There were also several workshops throughout the internship exclusively for interns, which were excellent for learning about a variety of topics such as working in agile, automated testing, lean business canvas, and more.
Following my internship, I will be visiting my family abroad for the remainder of summer, and then I’ll be returning to college to complete my final year. I’m very excited to take the skills I’ve learned from my internship and apply them to my final year projects as well as my future professional career as a product researcher.