Every year, we have the pleasure to help one or more interns with their study. They join our team for half a year and get the chance to see how we work and learn by doing or they do their final thesis project. We put a lot of effort in finding the right fit, since they all become a part of the team for the time they are with us.
Anna did an excellent job as an intern. She was always eager to learn, made mistakes, and learned from them. She sought feedback and continuously improved herself. Anna was curious and always up for a joke.
Just as we look for certain qualities in an intern, interns also seek a place that fits them. A good working environment makes it easier to ask questions and learn from others.
We sat down with Anna, near the end of her internship, to evaluate ourselves as well. Let’s hear from her, what her experience has been.
What did you expect from your internship at Okapion?
Because the company consists of a small group of experienced UX designers, I was expecting a lot of personal guidance and growth as a designer. I also expected to get more responsibility than an intern would get a bigger company.
How did you experience your place as an intern within Okapion?
It felt really personal and understanding. As an intern i felt respected and listened to. They took my opinion and thoughts almost as serious as all the other colleagues. This helped me built more confidence over time. What stuck out the most was the fact that they put my growth as a designer first and made a lot of room for school work.
What is the craziest/funniest thing you have experienced?
I got the chance to go on a lot of trips with the team. One of the trips was their annual ski trip to Gerlos! I got to know everyone on a personal level. We laughed, partied and a did little bit of skiing of course :)
How did you like the projects you worked on?
They were challenging to say the least. Okapion works which big data related companies. Hence why the project I worked on most of the time were to help them create a more user friendly platform for those companies. It was a little bit of flow building and a lot of detailed interaction design. They take those details very seriously and give you the time to perfect them. When I first started working at okapion they gave me a smaller and simpler project to get to know their way of working which Figma. Here they already gave me time to create detailed designs, which I found refreshing.
What was your working week at Okapion like?
Everyone, including me, works 3 days at the office and 2 days online at home! Monday, Wednesday and Friday were the office days and Tuesday and Thursday online. I worked from 9:00 tot 17:30 like everyone else. Every Thursday was my schoolwork day. Here I got the time to work on the assignment for school. On the office days we would have lunch together so we could talk about how everyone’s day is going. I would work on one project at the beginning of the week and another at the end. Sometimes I would get a small project for a day to help them out! A lot of variation.
How would you describe Okapion?
A design agency that loves UX design and gives everyone the opportunity to learn from each other every single day. They see beauty in the simplest designs which is why to strive to create products that feel and look simple so that everyone wants to use it!
Not unimportantly, what’s the atmosphere like?
A fun and non formal work place were everyone checks in on each other. Everyone is treaded equally, If you’re the boss or intern. They are not afraid to joke around which made me feel less stressed about the work I needed to do. They are also very understanding, I was never afraid to asks any questions. In fact they encourage curiosity!
For whom is Okapion the company to do an internship?
For someone who isn’t afraid to take initiative, wants to learn more about UX design, has a detailed eye and loves to socialize!
What is your golden tip/advice for students looking for an internship?
Show them why you want to work with Okapion specifically. What project of there’s inspires you to work with them. They are also very interested in who you are as a designers. Show them which design you like that you made or somebody else made and tell them why you like it so much. They want to see what drives you, where you are good at and what you want to learn from them.
By the sounds of it, Anna was in the right place with us, but we certainly experienced that as well.
Are you looking for a UX design internship and are you interested in Okapion? Send an email with your motivation, CV and portfolio to [email protected].