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Summer Internship Experience
In Summer 2022, I served as a UX Design Intern at RebelBase, contributing to the development of a pioneering customization feature for their Platform 2.0. This page distills my process and key insights gained throughout the internship.
My designed flow for this project successfully transitioned to the implementation phase in October 2022.
Work Process
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Project Kick-start
Research
Synthesize
User Journey Map
User Flow
Design
Prototype
Usability Testing
Deliver Solution
Role
Worked as UX Design Intern.
Cooperated with the Content Team, the Engineering Team, a lead UX designer, a Product Manager, and another UX Design Intern.
Work Scope
My primary responsibilities centered on crafting user flows for new features in Platform 2.0, designing associated pages and micro-interactions, presenting demos to stakeholders, and conducting usability tests.
Methods & Tools
Methods: use cases testing, competitive analysis, interview, user journey, user flow, usability testing, wireframing, digital prototyping.
Tools: Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator.
01. Project Kick-Start
Joining the Product Team, I initiated my journey by acquainting myself with my colleagues and understanding the project's current phase, available resources, and the organizational culture. I delved into the content style guide and familiarized myself with the existing Platform 1.0.
Thanks to the support of my supervisor and team, I swiftly adapted to the work rhythm and was fully prepared for the project ahead.
02. Research
What is RebelBase's platform?
RebelBase's platform is an all-encompassing solution designed to navigate users through each step of designing and launching projects. It facilitates the creation of groups, events, and competitions, underpinned by inventive learning modules.
About the project:
The project, still in its nascent stage, involved the integration of a new customization feature into the existing platform. I first conducted preliminary research and feasibility analysis to form a robust concept of this feature.
To gain a competitive edge, I evaluated the functionality of similar features in competitor products, examining their impact on usability. Collaboratively, another intern and I prepared for stakeholder interviews to further inform our design process.
Why do users need customization?
According to previous user feedback, especially from institutions and small businesses, they reported that some parts of the courses provided on our platform do not fit their circumstances. They wondered if they can delete those materials from the course and even add customized materials.
03. Synthesize
Once the requisite data were meticulously collected and analyzed, I shared the pivotal findings with our team, systematically collating all data and conclusions into one comprehensive file, prepared for review and verification by other teams.
04. User Journey Map
Leveraging insights from the previous phase, I sketched out a preliminary flow for the new feature and created user journey maps for typical users, encapsulating the potential experiences with the new feature.
Our team then collaboratively discussed and prioritized user needs, culminating in a shared understanding and consensus regarding the general direction for the new feature..
05. User Flow
Informed by user needs, I iteratively evolved the initial user flow, conducting several design cycles. Post each iteration, I organized design critique sessions with our team to discuss the rationale behind the revisions, evaluating their impact and potential trade-offs, while inviting collaborative feedback.
Given that the integration of this new feature would substantially reconfigure the current information architecture, I liaised closely with the Content and Engineering teams, ensuring that the design changes adhered to scope and were seamlessly integrated..
06. Design
The design of the corresponding pages started with a massive amount of fast sketches. I did lots of drafts for each step of the flow and gradually filtered out unideal designs.
These refined designs were then shared with my team, leading to a collective decision to further develop one concept. As I refined this chosen design and page transitions, I concurrently designed various versions of micro-interactions for team review and discussion.
07. Prototype
I developed a high-fidelity prototype that melds the new user flow with the fresh design, primed for subsequent usability testing.
08. Usability Testing
In partnership with another intern specializing in UX research, I coordinated the usability testing. We reached out to a curated list of stakeholders and potential users, and also conducted internal testing with our team. This process yielded invaluable feedback from both user and designer perspectives.
Informed by the usability testing results, I revised several micro-interactions to enhance the overall user experience and optimized visual displays for improved clarity and engagement.
Takeaways
Communication is a tool to avoid misunderstandings.
One key takeaway from my experience is the critical importance of active, cross-functional collaboration in design. Ensuring all stakeholders – from team members to other interfacing teams – are aligned, particularly in projects requiring multifaceted team input, is essential for creating effective design solutions.
Be provocative and open to opinions in the discussion.
Expressing ideas effectively and being open to suggestions are keys to successful collaboration. In this internship, I learned to take the initiative to talk about my design decisions and concerns in in-group discussions and learned how to negotiate properly with other teams when they disagree with some of our designs.
Great team, great work.
I love the working atmosphere of our team. Everyone was so helpful and nice that I quickly felt I was one of the family. Our communication was effective, engaging, and insightful: we were really trying to tackle the problem with the best solution we could think of.
I truly appreciate everyone I met during this internship.
09. Deliver Solution
Concluding the design process, I showcased the new feature through a detailed presentation and demo to the Content and Engineering teams, as well as to stakeholders. I clarified its functionality, aesthetics, and user interaction mechanisms. Post-discussion and response to their inquiries, I was thrilled to witness their approval of the design. This culminated in the decision to progress the project to the coding and implementation phase in October 2022.
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