Hi, my name is Jay and I am a 2nd year student in Master of Design program. During this summer, I had the opportunity to work for ID8 Innovation Lab Team of Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center (SSIC) as a UX/Product Design Intern.
The internship was 12 weeks long and there were 2 design interns (including me) and 2 engineering interns for our team. I was so excited to spend my summer there because it was my very first time to visit Silicon Valley! I would say that I have learned and enjoyed a lot during the internship, not only about design but also about experiencing new places and new people.
What is ID8 Innovation Lab?
ID8 Innovation Lab is more like a small design agency in a huge company. The team is composed of a small number of designers and engineers who collaborate closely. The team focuses on more exploratory and innovative projects using emerging technologies and proposes design solutions that could be implemented in the next 5 years.
The main goals of the projects are presenting the concept and working prototypes to other departments, such as Samsung Electronics, clients, or other stakeholders. We do not mainly focus on refining the designs in the pixel levels that is ready to be launched in the market, but rather, we care a lot about the creative-ness and novel-ness. Unlike other design teams, our solution does not limit to one specific platform because our team has capabilities of designing any solutions from physical to digital products. Thus, I could feel more freedom when framing problems and developing concepts. Also, it was exciting to see actual working prototypes that our design team came up with and proposed to engineers.
How was my experience in the team?
I could experience different environments that might have been difficult to experience in other typical design teams. Since there were only a few designers and each of them has their own expertise, such as industrial design, UX design, and visual design, they are all required to independently represent their fields. This environment was a bit challenging for me at the beginning because my mentor and I were the only UX designer in our team so that there were no other people I could rely on about UX part other than him. But at the same time, I could have greater voice as well. For example, I could lead the domain presentation for one of the biggest projects and made key decisions throughout the process of preparing and conducting user interviews and synthesizing the concept after ideation sessions. Delivering a presentation in front of the entire team including CTO and project managers and deciding the project directions required huge responsibilities but it also made me motivated and passionate.
The mentor closely supported me to get used to the team culture and life in South Bay area, by sharing his experiences and giving advice. He helped me improve design expertises such as white boarding or presentation communication skills.
What did I do other than work?
I learned a lot outside the company as well. SSIC has a well-coordinated internship program. The total number of interns for this summer was around 70, and there were many chances to socialize with others. Most of them have an engineering background, and I could learn new perspectives and lives that I haven’t thought about before. Thanks to the internship program, I could also experience key places in the Bay Area. Especially, we went to Santa Cruz Beach and Great America altogether, where I could not visit by myself. We enjoyed our time there and make great memories with friends. I could learn a lot about lives in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
Santa Cruz Beach (190628)
Half Moon Bay Beach (190715)
What I should emphasize is the food in cafeteria. There were a variety of options but the Korean and Japanese food were the best. Also, I could order specific menu that I want to eat. For example, I could order a steak with fruits and an egg fry on it.
Overall, I really enjoyed working with ID8 team and living in California. I was able to meet people from various backgrounds, which helped I broaden my horizon not only as a designer but also as a person. I appreciate Design League for giving me an opportunity to share my experience and I hope my reflection could be helpful to many future designers/interns at SSIC or Silicon Valley.
