My Experience as a Design Intern

Let’s do a throwback. Two months ago I was in France looking for an internship in Portugal and came across this agency that I thought would be a perfect fit… I sent an application and since then I was very anxious and always checking my email box.

Later that week I received Andreia’s email asking me for a video-call. After we talk, they told me I was accepted and I couldn't be more excited as I knew Codepoint is known for its Design (yes… I did my research!). I obviously didn’t believe it at first. I recall feeling overwhelmed, but I knew I wanted to take this opportunity to learn and to prove that I deserved this chance.

My first challenge was working on an internal project: the ideation process for an Event Planning Platform. The goal here was to find all the needs, assumptions/problems to solve in such a platform. And for that, I did a lot of research. It was very interesting. 

Then, I moved on to the biggest challenge of this internship: working on a back office template — a universal tool to manage product content, users, overview statistics, purchases and much more. For me, it was the biggest challenge yet, because in my studies I’ve never faced a project like that. They showed me their current BO and its problems and challenged me to take into account all the feedback and create a new improved version. This work was a great way to get familiar with tables, scales, design systems and UX. 

I also worked on case study images’ for the website of the agency. It was more similar to what I’m used to doing and I really liked it. 

This amount of work and timelines helped me to be more organized and methodical.

Now that it has come to an end… As a young student french girl, I always dreamt of having an opportunity like this - in another country. This way I could learn about Design but also about different things: a different culture and language. Portugal was the perfect option, as I have family there (and housing). I can say this internship was everything that I expected and that it was a very complete experience. I learned and evolved my skills. 

Looking through all the great memories, projects and knowledge exchanges between me and my colleagues, I know I’ll be readier to face any challenge ahead. I feel like I have grown in different ways: from the way I worked - to the way I express myself and believe in myself. In other words, these two months in this agency really helped me grow personally and professionally. 

Before entering I had the impression that interns do the work that no one wants to do. But instead of that, I worked on interesting projects and processes. Most importantly, I like that the team was very considerate and including. My colleagues were ALWAYS nice to me, they always tried to help me, to answer my questions and to be there for me. They cared about how I was feeling about my work and the country. One important aspect was the independence I had… It forced me to look for solutions alone and it let me bring my ideas to life. 

To sum everything up, I can say that this experience changed my perspective on things. I know everything I’ve learned with them will help me in my future as a student and as a professional. I can’t wait to apply all of this knowledge in my future lessons and share it with my colleagues. 

If you’re a student thinking about whether you should or should not apply to an internship I hope this is a clear sign that you should! I am glad that I submitted my application. I really want to thank everyone in this agency for welcoming me into the team and for always standing by my side and guiding me through every step. I especially want to thank Julia, Sofia and Andreia who supported me and answered the hundreds of questions I had. 

P.s: It is ok to be afraid at first. Codepoint has done a great job at calming my worries and assuring me that I’m good at what I do. You only grow when you get out of your comfort zone!

I now look forward to crossing paths with them again. 

xoxo, Andrea <3 (I'm sorry that was too tempting, I needed to have my gossip girl moment ahah)