What I liked
Working on actual products that are set to hit the shelves in the coming months was a unique way to learn the entire design process, including areas I’d never been exposed to before while in school. This way, I learned about the engineering side of design, by working with manufacturing constraints, reducing costs through design, and talking with engineers. I learned about the business side of design, like the importance of marketing your design, how business transactions work between organizations, and how to keep different price points in mind when designing. I learned about the interpersonal skills required to be a designer, through working with many other departments and learning how to resolve conflicts with higher levels of management. In addition to the engineering, business, and interpersonal knowledge, I also learned a great deal about design itself. From learning softwares on the job to taking part in design research and prototype testing, the internship was an incredible opportunity to advance my design skills as a whole.
