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5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Design Internship

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When I got my Product Design internship, I was so excited but also terrified. I kept asking myself if I was good enough and I binge-watched different YouTube videos about what is expected of a design intern. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I have to be an idea-spitting, design genius before resumption. It was nerve-racking as you can imagine! But I really didn’t have to be one. If you’re just starting your design internship or dreaming of one, here are the top 5 things I wish I knew about before I started.

1. You’re Not Expected to Know Everything

I know everything meme, office intern

This is a major thing I wish I knew before my internship started, it would have made my first week a lot easier. Don’t panic, you don’t need to know everything, No one expects you to walk in and handle things like a ‘Lead’ Designer at Google. My first assignment wasn’t to redesign the full app; it was a task that helped me ease into work. 

Internships are work-based learning experiences. This is the time where you can make the most mistakes without being judged. You are an intern so you can learn from industry professionals and understand the dynamics of a professional environment.

2. Don’t be Scared to Ask Questions

You are not annoying, you are not dull, it’s perfectly fine to be inquisitive. In fact, asking questions makes you a better Designer. It helps you empathize with your users, challenge existing solutions, identify opportunities, reveal underlying needs and properly define user pain points.

3.Design Feedback are not Personal attacks

Annoying Feedback for Designers meme,

You would most likely get a lot of feedback that might sting when starting out (spoiler, it would probably never stop.) But don’t deep it, your supervisor doesn’t hate you. You just have to learn to take feedback like a champ. You might feel like you have tried your best on a particular assignment, but a professional would see errors and loopholes that need to be fixed.

I used to dread feedback sessions, but now it’s my favorite part of being an intern. Thankfully, my mentor gracefully gives constructive criticism only after commending the good aspects of my work. As a designer, your learning is dependent mostly on feedback. Your design is meant to evolve, not remain stagnant, so learn to take feedback and iterate to improve your designs and processes.

4. Document your process, Future you (and your portfolio) will thank you

Take screenshots, write notes, jot down feedback. Keep everything… Even your bad wireframes, save it all! It’s gold for when you’re telling the story later. Starting off, I didn’t realize the importance of documenting everything, but my supervisor insisted on me keeping everything from rough research and sketches to design attempts. 

So, in following her footsteps, I opened a Figma file named ‘playground’. I am still pretty fresh, and I already see a difference in how I approach design assignments when I view my first assignments on this file. 

5. Don’t Overthink it

Design internships aren’t about being perfect. They’re about being curious, open, and willing to grow (and maybe laugh at yourself along the way). So, if you’re just starting out, take a breath you’ve got this. And if you mess up? Don’t beat yourself up, you’re learning.

ALSO READ: [My Internship Journey: Content Marketing with Fusion]

I can’t believe I was nervous about resuming my internship role, but now I am genuinely enjoying every bit of it, from the meetings, assignments, design feedback sessions, to the courses and articles.

If you’re just starting your journey, I hope this helped you breathe a little easier. And if you’re already deep into your internship just know you’re not alone in the chaos. You’ve got this!

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Azeezah Adetunji
Azeezah Adetunji

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