{"id":1275,"date":"2023-10-05T16:43:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T16:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/digitalteam\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2023-10-08T11:47:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T11:47:05","slug":"navigating-the-world-of-ux-design-my-internship-journey-at-the-university-of-southampton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/digitalteam\/2023\/10\/05\/navigating-the-world-of-ux-design-my-internship-journey-at-the-university-of-southampton\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the World of UX Design: My Internship Journey at the University of Southampton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey! 👋<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My name is Charisma, and over the past six months I\u2019ve had the incredible opportunity to<\/span> work as an intern with the digital user experience team at the University of Southampton. It’s been nothing short of enlightening, allowing me to gain hands-on experience in various aspects of user experience (UX) design and research.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charisma
\nGraduation day in front of Winchester Cathedral<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m excited to share with you what I\u2019ve been up to, the challenges I\u2019ve faced and invaluable lessons I’ve learned during this journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

My background<\/h3>\n

Before diving into the details, let me give you a bit of background about myself. I\u2019m a graduate with a degree in Game Design and Art from Winchester School of Art. During my 3-year course, I was introduced to UX design by my first-year lecturer, who also happened to be a User Experience Designer\/Researcher.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Later in my academic journey, between my second and third years of study, I had the opportunity to work alongside her and a small team during a summer internship as a Game Designer. This experience enabled me to collaborate and gain first-hand insight into the world of UX design. <\/span>That’s when I decided to really dig in and get a better handle on this field.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Subsequently, I ramped up my commitment to user-centred design. I tackled my final major project with enthusiasm, leveraging UX tools and methodologies to place user needs at the forefront.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward a bit, and here I am! Thanks to the incredible network at the University of Southampton, I landed the opportunity to be part of their <\/span>award-winning<\/span><\/a> Digital User Experience team. It’s been quite a ride, and I’m eager to share more of it with you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting started<\/h3>\n

I joined the team during a bustling period, with one project starting while another was wrapping up. This was quite a challenging transition for me, as I was eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible, granted there was a lot going on. To gain a deeper understanding of the University and the team’s dynamics, I had one-to-one meetings with various team members, spanning from Content Design to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and everything in between. Not only did this exercise provide me with invaluable insights, it was also a great way to put names to faces and really get to know the personalities driving the show.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of my initial assignments involved redesigning a social media component. This project served as a helpful opportunity for me to put my skills into practice and enhance my proficiency with Figma, one of the tools the team use for prototyping. Additionally, it allowed me to sharpen my research abilities and cultivate my iterative design approach, which is great as it benefits the end user and the organisation both in the short and long term. In the short run, we’re delivering products and services that are friendlier and more adaptable to our users. Looking ahead, these skills mean we’re on a path to continually improve, saving resources, and building a reputation for quality and innovation, contributing to the university\u2019s sustained success and growth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the project, I consistently collaborated with the UX team, sharing my work and making refinements based on feedback. Being part of a multidisciplinary team is advantageous because it:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n