(1) Creating buy-in for design by putting it in the language of a business case. At several points throughout the summer, I identified new tools or design processes that I thought might benefit Kaptivate and their clients. To gain buy-in, I learned how to write a business case to explain how certain design tools could not only make for better design work but better fit the business needs of each client.

(2) The gap between academic design and professional practice are different in ways I didn’t expect. I was surprised at how much of the design process in professional practice was similar to what I have learned in classes; user research, user personas, journey mapping, and wire framing are all common between the two. The difference from the classroom was how we balance those responsibilities while working within a team. I learned important lessons about interpersonal work and communications.

(3) Sharing skills that don’t necessarily line up with your job description can make room for unexpected and exciting work. In the first week of my internship, I was invited to share some of my past work with the entire Kaptivate team. I shared work that wasn’t necessarily relevant to what I thought I would be working on this summer, but after learning that I had done illustration work in the past, I was encouraged to leverage those skills on projects like the Kaptivate icon set. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work on those projects if I had not shared my past work.