User Experience Research and Design Intern
Job Function
- Test websites and software to evaluate user experience and ease of design
- Research design elements to include in websites to optimize user experience and ensure conciseness
- Build user stories, personas, and storyboards to conceptualize designs and effectively convey project plans to management
- Survey users through media platforms to gather feedback on consumer ease of use and satisfaction
- Design website aesthetics and ensure ease of change to facilitate future interface edits
- Evaluate user responses and website data to determine the optimal strategy to drive sales and increase number of high-traffic web pages
- Consult with management consistently to understand goals and ensure satisfaction
- Assist in content and product development
- Conduct user research and competitor analysis
- Conduct usability testing
Projects
- Website Construction and Design
- I assisted in the building and improvement of several websites that the organization operates.
- After conducting research, I found that using Shopify would be most beneficial in conveying the overall affordance of the sites.
- Originally, the company used WordPress.
- I redesigned the sites and integrated existing information using Shopify.
- Original websites contained excessive information and overcrowding.
- I assisted in condensing information and menus to maximize user experience and highlight the affordances of the sites.
- I conducted usability testing to ensure that sites optimized user experience.
- Integration of Google Analytics
- I assisted in the implementation and integration of Google Analytics to identify user engagement trends on the site.
- After only one month, I was able to identify the top traffic sources by channel (referral, direct, organic search, and social) and utilize acquisition, behavior, and conversion data to improve the site.
- Product Research and Testing
- Aside from my regular duties, I assisted in finding and researching products for the company’s online stores.
- I created a spreadsheet of potential products and researched similar products in the market to determine which items would be optimal for the company to remain competitive and increase sales.
What I Learned
- User Experience Design (MIS 3506): This course entailed describing, scoping, and building a complete user experience. We learned and applied usability and design principles, and built innovative user interfaces that achieve organizational goals.
- Because I completed my internship and took this course simultaneously, I consistently learned from each channel.
- I applied concepts learned in class to maximize the user experience on the sites.
- Lead Global Digital Products (MIS 3535): In this course, I learned how to lead, plan and manage global technology-enabled, process-centric information systems projects by focusing on initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing projects in the context of topics such as integration, scope, timing, cost, quality, human resource, technology, communications, and risk and procurement.
- Because I learned how to create user stories and storyboards in my internship, I was thoroughly prepared for this course.
- I transferred the skills I learned in my internship to the project management and development concepts we learned in class.
- I developed excellent communication and iteration skills through my internship, which was beneficial in conducting client interviews in class.
- Digital Systems (MIS 2101): Through this introductory MIS course, I learned the role of information systems and digital platforms in business and how digital products are conceived, designed, secured and deployed.
- I utilized the knowledge learned in class regarding Google Analytics and applied it to the integration of the service in my internship.