And that Service Design intern is Danique. She is 24 years old and is currently in the second year of her master Strategic Product Design. She has been living in Delft with three roommates and a (slightly overweight) cat for more than five years now. In her spare time, she likes to exercise, she plays volleyball and when it doesn't rain, she can sometimes be found on a road bike. Now that her internship has come to an end and her laptop has been handed in, it is time to look back. What were her highlights, what did she learn? Danique tells you all!
Why did you choose this study?
“I already knew that I wanted to study Industrial Design at TU Delft when I was fifteen years old. When I was actually working on the Bachelor, I realized that I'm not that interested in designing new products. The last thing our planet needs is more mass-produced products. Instead, we need to find other creative ways to live our lives without putting so much pressure on the environment. As a Service Designer, I have the opportunity to develop and improve service systems that focus on this, while at the same time making our lives easier (think, for example, of shared transport services such as Mobike). These services require constant innovation to keep them workable, and that's what gets me excited. To further develop myself in this and gain practical knowledge and experience, I looked for a Service Design internship.”
What strikes me about Guidion is that people are not only colleagues, but also friends.
Why did you want to do an internship at Guidion?
“I previously did an internship at a very small sustainable innovation agency. I've seen how much energy people put into the transition to a more sustainable planet. That's also where I learned how difficult this transition is. We've often worked on 15 projects at the same time, fighting to get funding from the government, persuading investors to contribute, or participating in tenders, only to get “sorry, unfortunately it's not possible right now”. Of course, this is the reality and we have to keep fighting to make real changes, but it got me thinking: what if you try to make changes from within? That's when I decided I also wanted to experience what it's like to work as a designer at a larger company. To find out how innovation is pursued internally, instead of at an agency that is constantly trying to convince others. Because I also wanted to find out if my future really lies in Service Design, I decided Guidion would be the perfect place.”
What have you been up to during the time you worked with us?
“As a Service Designer at Guidion, I worked on a number of things. First of all, my main activities revolved around qualitative research. I interviewed experts about their onboarding experience, residents about the service visit and employees about the recruitment process. By constantly asking: “and how does that make you feel? Why is that so?” I aim to discover the reasoning behind their experiences. Analyzing their answers provides insights and presenting them in a concise way is also part of my work. I also worked on creating a micro journey with the People team. In this way, we identified the steps that candidates take during the recruitment process and our assumptions about their experience. Facilitating creative and strategic workshops is another fun skill I've been working on over the past few months!”
What are you most proud of?
“I am most proud of setting up and carrying out an entire investigation on my own. Of course, I was accompanied throughout the process, but Guidion has given me a lot of responsibility and, above all, the confidence that I am able to do it well myself. Becoming more confident as a designer was one of the reasons for doing an internship and I can definitely say that my experience at Guidion helped me do that.”
What has your (learning) experience been like and what are your most important take aways?
“I liked the learning experience: I was generally given a project and some explanation, after which I was free to find out how I wanted to go about it. I was given the tools and guidelines to do it properly, but I was encouraged to think for myself, which I really appreciate and suit me.”
How would you describe your experience in three words?
“Responsibility, freedom, fun. ”
What moment will you think back to later?
“My most memorable moment was the Christmas dinner we had with the team. What strikes me about Guidion is that people are not only colleagues, but also friends. In addition to an interesting and exciting job, a fun work environment is also very important, in my opinion, and that's really the case at Guidion!”
What would you say to other people who are thinking about applying for an internship at Guidion?
“If you agree with me that your work environment should not only be interesting and educational but also fun, Guidion is the place to be! With so many inspiring and enthusiastic people around you, not a day will go by that you regret this internship!”
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