Federal Contract Project
As a Product Design Intern, I was deeply involved in an ongoing federal project. This project was one of my two projects during the 10-week internship program at Guidehouse, which was later extended by another month. Working closely with the team, we completed an entire UX design project, giving me valuable hands-on experience across the entire UX design process. While I cannot share project details due to security reasons, here are some brief notes on my experience. I accepted a return offer and now work as a full-time employee at Guidehouse after graduation.
Company
Duration
My role
Team members
Responsibilities
Project Overview
Our design process
• I conducted one user interview and participated in two others as a note-taker.
• The team held an affinity mapping session to organize our findings and had several ideation sessions.
• We came up with wireflows and presented them along with our research findings to the stakeholders to get agreement and support to move forward.
• We met with the accessibility specialist to ensure that all designs meet 508 compliance standards.
• The team built high-fidelity mockups and prototypes, following the style guide to maintain consistency with visual designs throughout.
• We collaborated with multiple stakeholders throughout the design process, including the client, product owners, product managers, business analysts, the Business Intelligence (BI) team, and developers.
• The team presented design solutions to stakeholders through high-fidelity prototypes.
Going Forward
Reflection
What I learned from the project...
1. 508 Compliance: I took the accessibility and inclusive design class as part of my master's program at the University of Washington. I learned about WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), color contrast checkers, etc., but integrating the 508 guidelines into all our design choices was a new experience for me. I believe it's a valuable practice in design, as it emphasizes accessibility for all users.
2. Design Library: The use of the design library was also a new experience for me. While I've attempted to build a design system before, it had never been to this extent. I found it incredibly useful to have the design library at my disposal for finding the elements I needed and ensuring consistency across the designs.
3. Teamwork: I've learned that design is a multifaceted field, and no one can be an expert in everything. It's valuable to collaborate with the team and stakeholders to gather feedback and enhance the designs further.
