Essay: My marketing internship

Abstract
I’m currently in the third year of the Communication and Multimedia Design program at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Because it is required that all third year students do an internship, I decided to do my internship abroad. The reason why I chose to do my internship abroad is the international experience that one can gain. Besides the international experience, I also wanted to improve myself as both an individual and as a future professional. Because of my parents and the fact that they live in Aruba, the reason was quite obvious why I wanted to do my internship there.
I chose to do my internship at CaribMedia, a small company with a solid foothold in the Aruban web design industry. After having done some research on the company, I decided that this company would be the ideal organization where I could let myself evolve with knowledge and the necessary know-how. Because of the relatively small size of the company, I knew that I wouldn’t be treated as just a number and that there would be better feedback from my coach.
During the internship I discovered what my strength and weaknesses were, and what I needed to improve. I gained new knowledge and skills and therefore gained a lot of self-confidence and motivation to venture into the unknown future. I also gained a new perspective on the web design and development industry, which will be beneficial for my future and the decisions that I’ll eventually make.
About CMD
Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) at the Rotterdam University is a study program where interaction plays a key role. Due to the increasing popularity of digital technology, the need for creative people has skyrocketed. Since the dawn of mankind, technology has come a long way. We can only assume that this is only the start and that there’s a long road ahead of us. The need for new digital products and services is at an all-time high and this is where the need for CMD comes in.
What separates CMD from other study programs such as Marketing, IT or Graphic Design is that CMD students are taught not only how to invent (digital) products or services, but also how to make sure that these products really work and are as easy to use as possible for the average consumer. Interaction plays a key role when it comes to designing products or services and this is where CMD really shines.
Students are taught from day one on how to come up with creative solutions for existing problems and problems that might arise. During the program, students are taught how to come up with ideas and how to convert these ideas into prototypes. By studying human behavior and the way that people use these prototypes, the CMD students can be assured that these products work as intended.
About the organization
CaribMedia, based in Aruba, is a small company that specializes in web design, web development, online marketing, website and e-mail hosting, search engine optimization (SEO) and promotion. In operation since 1997, Caribmedia’s main focus is the development of websites and web applications.
CaribMedia also has a vast network of tourism related channels. Besides the above mentioned services, they’re also the operators of VisitAruba.com, a website where tourists can find information about Aruba and what it has to offer. Through VisitAruba.com, several local companies offer their services to tourists and those who might be interested.
CaribMedia works with different strategic partners to make sure that the services that they provide are of outstanding quality. Some of these partners are world-renowned companies that have some of the highest customer satisfaction in the world.
Culture and Identity
Culture
CaribMedia strongly believes in giving back to the community. Throughout the years they have endorsed and sponsored different activities throughout the island. Their commitment to the local population is unparalleled and this can be seen by the various projects that they have supported.
Work culture
Although a small company, CaribMedia employs some of the brightest employees who work together as one. Caribmedia believes in team work and employees are expected to fulfill various roles within the organization. This makes a typical day unlike any other because there’s always something going on each day.
Goals
– Provide clients with the highest quality service possible and exceed their expectations
– Help companies build their brand so they can develop strong relationships with their customers
Company Characteristics
– Strong relationship between clients and company
– Commitment to learning and expanding knowledge within the company
– Commitment to implement latest technology into products and services
– High quality of products and services
Client characteristics
This is an overview of the characteristics that CaribMedia’s clients typically have:
Companies
– Active on Social Media
– Established in Aruba
– Have been in business for at least a couple of years
– Are financially stable
– See the need of a website as a way to communicate with their clients and to establish a strong relationship
– See the need of a website as part of their marketing campaign
– Most of them are active in the tourism industry
Competition analysis
Even though a small market, Aruba has many web design companies. Some are more well known than others and some of the products and services that they offer are similar to those that CaribMedia offers. Nonetheless, all of the competitors have one common goal: To offer the best possible web design service to the local market.
Some of the well-known web design companies on Aruba
– Power Systems Aruba (ps-aruba.com). Full service web design company
– WebDESIGN Aruba (websitedesignaruba.com). Full service web design company
– Orbital Nets (www.orbitalnets.com). Full service multimedia company
– NetCor (netcor.biz). Multimedia design company
– AbleTech (abletech.com). Web design company that’s also specialized in IT
While most of the aforementioned competitors are involved in web design, almost none of them actually develop websites or web applications. This fact alone is what makes CaribMedia stand above the rest.
Internship activities
During my internship, I performed multiple tasks, worked on several projects and did research on various interesting topics. The tasks can divided into daily activities that involved research, development, designing, concepting and testing.
Overview internship activities
– Updating websites
– Visually designing websites and internal projects
– Designing wireframes for websites and web applications
– Development of websites and internal projects
– Testing of websites and internal projects
– Form testing
– Editing of images
– Research on various systems and tools, plug-ins
– Write reports
– Create concepts for websites and internal projects
The tasks that I performed during my internship can be divided into the following areas:
Even though I worked on several projects, I did however work on a main project that was specifically assigned to me: ArubaRestaurants.com. It was made clear to me from the beginning that this project will be the ‘bread and butter’ of my internship and that I would gain a lot of valuable knowledge from this project alone.
For the other projects I had to do a little bit of everything: from redesigning the layout, to making wireframes, development and I also had to do some concepting.
Other projects that I worked on were:
– ArubaVets
– ArubaBookings
– Natural Stones
– Visser Trading/ Mediq
– Salamandar Holdings
Learning goals
Before the internship I had to formulate three learning goals, which I wanted to achieve. These learning goals were based on things that I wanted to learn, things that I wanted to know more about:
1. (End competency: Interaction Designer) I wanted to learn how to create a good Project Specification & Design Plan. In my opinion this is of outmost importance because as designers we need to have the blueprint for the project. A Design Plan includes not only specifications and expectations of the website, but it also includes an overview of what the website needs, how the naviation is set up, how the website fulfills the needs and wants of the target group and what features are included.
2. (End competency: Creative Conceptor) I wanted to learn how I can convert the desires and expectations of a client or a target group into suitable and usable concepts. This is important for the creative industry since we need come up with different ideas in order to satisfy the needs and wants of the clients.
3. (End competency: Visual Designer) I wanted to learn how I can visually modify or (re)design an existing (CMS) theme specifically for a client or a target group. With the advancements of CMS systems such as WordPress, it’s quite common these days that websites are automated and should be designed in such a way that allows for frequent updating.
I also had personal goals that I wanted to achieve:
1. I wanted to learn more about html5/ css3 and how to make optimal use of them. wanted to learn this because I’ve been looking at CMD related jobs overseas and most if not all of them require thorough knowledge of these in order to make prototypes.
2. I wanted to learn more about responsive websites sites and how to create them. Because of the ever evolving digital world where mobile devices keep playing an important role in the development of products, I thought it would be a good idea if I actually knew how to create responsive websites.
Learning goal 1
What
I want to learn how I can create a good Project Specification & Design Plan which will in turn improve the flow and interaction of a multimedia product such as an application or website. I’m going to learn this by writing the Project Specification & Design Plan after research has been done. Based on the feedback from my colleagues I will adjust the documentation accordingly. Afterwards I’ll be able to create good wireframes based on the specifications.
Why
This goal fits with the end qualifications: ‘Research’ and ‘Development’. If I want to work as an ‘Interaction Designer’ it’s of utmost importance that my end-products also follow certain guidelines and best practices.
How
As evidence that I’ve achieved this learning goal I will submit the following:
– A presentation: I’m going to present my findings, the necessary steps I took, and also some visuals of the project
– A final report, which contains a step by step guide of the entire process including wireframes
– Research report and plan, which will contain an overview of what I’ve researched and why
Which
I will start by doing research. I will be using different methods and techniques such a card sorting, interviews and questionnaires. I will ask for feedback from my colleagues as well and this will all be documented in the project specifications.
When
I want to achieve this learning goal within 3 months. Afterwards I will be able to create good project specifications in no time.
Learning goal 2
What
I want to learn how I can convert the desires and expectations of a client or a target group into suitable and usable concepts. I’m going to this by doing research on the target group and their expectations. Afterwards I’ll be able to come up with suitable and creative ideas that appeal to them.
Why
This goal fits with the end qualifications: ‘Research’, ‘Empathy’ and ‘Adaptive learning’. If I want to work as a ‘Creative Conceptor’ it’s of utmost importance that I know how to come up with suitable products or services for any type of client or any target group.
How
As evidence that I’ve achieved this learning goal I will submit the following:
– A presentation: I’m going to present my findings, the necessary steps I took, and also some visuals of the project
– A final report, which contains a step by step guide of the entire process including wireframes
– Research report and plan, which will contain an overview of what I’ve researched and why
Which
I’ll start by doing research on the target group so I could know more about them. I’ll also do research on types of services or products that appeal to the target group and see if there any correlation between these two. Once I’m done with my research, I’ll be able to know the strength and weaknesses of a specific target group and what product(s) or service(s) appeal to them.
When
When: I want to achieve this learning goal within 2 months. Afterwards I will be able to come up with good concepts for different target groups.
Learning goal 3
What
I want to learn how I can visually modify or (re)design an existing (CMS) theme specifically for a client or a target group. I’m going to do this by doing research on the target group and find out how certain visual elements appeal to them. Eventually I’m going to visually modify or re-design the theme based on my research.
Why
This goal fits with the end qualifications: ‘Research’, ‘Empathy’ and ‘Development’. If I want to work as a ‘Visual Designer’ it is expected of me that I design according to what the client wants and/or what the target group needs. This in turn will help me design a visually appealing website that fulfills their requirements and needs.
How
As evidence that I’ve achieved this learning goal I will submit the following:
– A presentation: I’m going to present my findings, the necessary steps I took, and also some visuals of the project
– A final report, which contains a step by step guide of the entire process including wireframes
– Research report and plan, which will contain an overview of what I’ve researched and why
Which
I’ll start by doing research on the theme itself just to know what I can do with it and what limitations exist. Once I got that covered I will start making sketches and prototypes and eventually apply the Project Specification & Design Plan while asking for feedback from my colleagues.
When
I want to achieve this learning goal within 3 months. Afterwards I will be able to (re)design themes that appeal to the intended target group.
Project: ArubaRestaurants.com
VisitAruba.com started out as a website where tourists can find information about Aruba. Over the years the website has grown into a big portal where not only information can be found, but also where services are offered.
ArubaRestaurants.com started out as an extention of VisitAruba.com. On the site, visitors can find information about Aruban restaurants and could also book reservations through the site.
The site is based on the WordPress CMS but the lack of responsivess and a good interactive flow has turned away potential convertions.
From the Google Analytics it became clear that the top part of the website seems to be
very important and that users rarely scroll down.
Besides redesigning the website I was also given the following tasks, of which I had to do research in order to execute it properly:
– Improve the way how people navigate through the website
– Improve the way how (certain) information is shown
– Make the website responsive
– Come up with new concepts and ideas for the website in order to increase user engagement
– Find ways on how to make certain sections of the website stand out
Research plan
Because of the complexity of this project, I had to make sure that I had all corners covered. I had to do an in-depth research and I also had to make sure that all information that I found is relevant to the project.
Before I started with the research I set up a research plan which consisted of two parts. With the first part I wanted to know more about the online restaurant world so I formulated the following tasks:
– Learn more about the target group and set up a persona
– Learn more about the online restaurant world by analyzing websites, and write down common features and options
– Learn more about the interesting features that could be added into a restaurant related website
– Learn more about the layout of reservation websites
– Learn more about how people interact with certain elements on the site
– Learn more about the process involved with online reservations
Besides these tasks, I also certain that questions that I had to answers for:
– How can I make sure that information gets displayed properly?
– How does the overall user experience translate into additional convertions?
– How do users search for specific items and which methods are effective?
In order to set up a persona, I had to look at the demographics of the website. The Google Statistics were shown to me and this sort of gave me ideas on how to create a persona. Besides the Google Statistics, I also interviewed Gregory and Merel who know more about the website since they were the ones who created it.
From my understanding, it’s mostly tourists above 40 who own a timeshare on the island. The website is intended for users who aren’t familiar with all the restaurants on the island and want to explore all that Aruba has to offer in terms of the culinary options.
With this little piece of information I decided to do a brainstorming session with ‘timeshare’ as the main topic.
(image)
After analyzing the results, the following came to mind:
– Repeat visitors (People who come to the island often)
– People who wanted to enjoy the vacation instead of spending time on a website
– People who know the island well, consider the island another home, and are loyal to certain companies (restaurants) but still want to know more about other dining options
– People who are not afraid to spend some money on the island but still want to find deals or options that fit their budget
Having previously worked in the tourism industry, I knew quite a lot already about what kind of tourists visit the island. I included this knowledge into the creation of the persona, alongside the results of the brainstorm session and the information that I was given by Gregory and Merel:
The online restaurant reservation world is a booming industry where there is a lot of competition. After having done some research, I came to the conclusion that websites such as Opentable.com and MyTable.com are industry standards. Besides these websites, I also took a look at other online restaurant reservations website and websites where I could find information about restaurants. The first such website that came into mind is tripadvisor..com. Even though not exactly a reservation website, it does have a wealth of information about not only restaurants, but also hotels and other tourists related stuff. I also started analyzing ArubaRestaurants.com to see if I could find any ‘invisible clues’ related to design, interaction, CTA’s (Call-to-action) and usability.
From analyzing most of the reservation websites (ArubaRestaurants.com excluded), I came to the following conclusion:
Use of pictures to attract the attention of the visitors
Much like a Facebook’s profile, the picture is one of the first things that stands out. It’s always positioned in the upper left corner of a page. With some websites the user has the option to directly see other images, while with some websites access to other images is given by way of tabs. Some websites also display large images while others display smaller images. Even though smaller images are used by some websites, it’s always displayed in such way that it stands out from the rest of the content.
Intuitive filtering system and search function
Since reservation websites have tons of listings, it’s of utmost important that users can easily search for a specific listing. This is also the case with restaurant reservation websites, where users can sort for restaurants by ‘cuisine type’, ‘price’, ‘neighborhood or area’. While some websites also show the option to filter for a specific time. Afterwards the user gets an overview of the search results which can be sorted alphabetically, by price, by ratings.
Some websites also have a search form where users can (partially) fill in the name of the restaurant and afterwards get directed to page of the restaurant.
Easy to access reservation form
A conversion is defined by the successful booking of a restaurant. Since websites want their users to book reservations, I have found that the reservation form is always visible and easily accessible throughout the website. While some websites have the reservation form on the top, others have it somewhere else even though it’s always visible and the user knows of its existence.
Options being displayed on such forms are: ‘amount of people’, ‘time’, ‘date’, ‘contact information’ and a text form where users can fill in specific requests or comments.
They make good use of the available space by displaying different features
An interesting thing that I have realized from analyzing these websites is that they fill the entire page with interesting features such as a ‘reviews system’, ‘location of the restaurant by making use of (Google) maps’ and also ‘recommended listings’.
Placement of information
Websites where people can book reservations usually display a lot of information about the restaurant, the services it offers, price range, the type of food it offers, contact information about the restaurant, ratings of the restaurant and also the menu.
The contact information of the restaurant is usually next to the image of the restaurant. It’s either on top, to the right, or below the image. The name of the restaurant is displayed first in big bold letters.
Besides the contact information, I have also concluded that the placement of the price range is very important, since this can be influential during the decision making process.
Reason for making use of reservation websites
Before I started with the website, I have never heard of OpenTable.com before so it was kind of interesting to know why exactly people use the internet to book a reservation instead of just doing it the traditional way (making reservation by calling the restaurant).
So after asking some people, the following became clear:
– It’s easier to find information about the restaurant
– Easy access to the menu
– Use of maps when dealing with a restaurant that they’ve never been to
– No unnecessary waste of minutes due to international calling (applicable to international callers)
I now had enough information to proceed with the design of the website. Before I started with the design, I made sure that I was going to create the designs based on the following:
Design for mobile first and desktop second
One of the reasons why the site hasn’t been succesful with mobile users is because there’s no mobile version of the website. So I had to keep in mind that I had to design for two different settings and that both settings should display the same type of information
Design for users who aren’t sure yet what which restaurant to choose
I had to keep in mind that the website is mostly targeted to those who aren’t familiar with all the restaurants. So I had to design in such a way that the user can immediately search for restaurants
Design in such way that can lead to easy conversions
Conversion is when a user successfully books a reservation through the website. So I had to make sure that the reservation is visible to the user and that the process is as smooth as possible.
Design in such way that can increase user engagement
I had to make the website more interactive by adding useful features that can ‘entertain’ the user. I had to make sure that the user has plenty of options but at the same time, make sure that the website isn’t cluttered with stuff that could slow down the website.
(image current design)
In my opinion, the current design really needed a new facelift. After having analyzed the website I came to the following conclusion:
– There’s too much information being shown on the front page, which may distract the user
– Because the front page is cluttered, there’s no clear pathway on how to easily navigate through the website
– Main menu is not easily recognizable
– There’s no clear way of searching for a restaurant without going to another page. There is a search function however but it’s a bit too small in my opinion
– Size of font being used is a bit too small and doesn’t provide clear readability
With these in mind, I started designing the wireframes for the home page which can be seen on the next page
– I decided to go for a big image (of a restaurant) in the top part of the website in order to welcome the user and to make it clear to the user that the website is about dining
– Since booking reservations is the main purpose of the website, I decided to display the reservation form in the upper part of the website as well. Since the users see the upper part of the website first, I decided to put it close to the big image since all eyes will focused on that section
– A way that users can know more about other restaurants is by having a section called ‘daily suggestions’ which shows features restaurants. This section display different restaurants on a daily basis. This is an ideal method of displaying certain restaurants that the user might never come across.
From my research on reservation websites and being an avid online shopper myself, I know that user generated reviews can influence my decision. So by having such feature on the front page, I wanted the user to know what other users think about a particular restaurant.
The feedback that I received from Greg and Merel were the following:
– Since the website is intended for people who don’t know a lot about the different dining options, this should be displayed first. Because by having a reservation form alone, I’m limiting the users from exploring the other restaurants. The search form could also be in the middle as part of the image and not at the bottom since it can give the user the feeling that the image is more important than the search form.
– Daily suggestion is a nice feature, but it would be nicer if the name of the restaurant is also displayed alongside the image since user won’t know how the restaurant is called by just looking at the image. The option of showing the price range as well and the cuisine type is also a motivating factor because an image and name of the restaurant alone doesn’t really say a lot about the restaurant.
– Since users always want the best deal, it’s important to have a ‘specials’ section where special deals can be displayed. It is also important to give the user a short description about the specials so the user can know more about it. Try to find a way where the image of the special can be displayed first followed by text.
– VisitAruba offers the VA plus Discount card where users who own the card can get discounts at participating business including restaurants. Try to include a section on the front page where the ad can be placed. This way it can be made clear to the user that the card exists.
– Since CaribMedia invests a lot of effort into the smartphone app, try to find a way to make it clear that there are versions for both the Apple and Android systems.
Based on the feedback that I was given, I decided to re-design the front page again. The redesign can be seen on the next page.
The feedback that I received from Greg and Merel were the following:
– Having two different menus on the website might confuse the user since the user won’t know which one to use. So try combining both menus into one single menu
– When designing a menu, keep in mind that people read from left to right, so it would be better if you don’t put the menu right in the center of the screen, but try to position it on the left. Also make sure that you have the ‘home’ option since a lot of users don’t know that the logo is clickable
– The latest news section should be improved and try to find a way where you can display part of the content
Based on the feedback that I was given, I decided to re-design the front page again. The redesign can be seen on the next page.
The feedback that I received from Greg and Merel were the following:
– You’re missing a ‘more news’ link to display additional news items
– The spacing looks a bit off and everything seems too compact and cluttered since everything is stacked on top of each other Try to add a bit more white space between the different sections so the user can know that these are different sections.
– Instead of showing a price range, why don’t you show the dollar signs instead. The more dollar signs, the higher the price range.
Based on the feedback that I was given, I decided to re-design the front page again. The redesign can be seen on the next page.
During my internship I spent a lot of time and effort into ArubaRestaurants.com. I was asked to design a website that could increase traffic and as a result of this, it could lead to more conversions. So I decided to do research on User Experience and how much of a role it plays in overall satisfaction.
The correlation between good User Experience and increased traffic
Why is good UX important for repeat visitors?
Imagine: you need some information about a restaurant and you’re on a restaurant listings website. But either the process of finding the restaurant through the website takes too long or you simply find the website a bit difficult to use. Would you still use the website or would you rather call the restaurant to ask for more information? But most important, would you use the same website again to book your next reservation, or would you rather use a competitor’s website?
Because of my interest on how to achieve the best possible experience for the users, I decided to do research on this topic so I can get a new perspective on this issue. It is important for us as multimedia designers to know exactly how people use certain products and how we can make these products enjoyable.
What exactly is User Experience (UX)’?User Experience is not about good industrial design, multi-touch, or fancy interfaces. It is about transcending the material. It is about creating an experience through a device (Hassenzahl, 2013)’.
Smashing magazine defines User Experience as: ‘How a person feels when interfacing with a system (Gube, 2010)’.
Simply put: people these days want things as easy as possible. They don’t want to spend too much time to complete their objective and they want to enjoy this experience, from beginning to end.
With systems becoming more complex it is easy to understand why UX is becoming so important. The vast amount of data should be displayed in such a way that it provides ease of use to the users because after all, they don’t want to spend too much time trying to figure out how certain things work.
‘Good UX design can yield incredible improvements in buyer behavior, lead generation, and visitor engagement (Buchholz, 2013)’.
It’s not only websites that can benefit from good UX, but products such as mobile applications and videogames can also benefit from good UX. As more companies are starting to dedicate more resources into optimizing and improving the UX, it is increasingly becoming one of the most sought after disciplines in the creative industry.
Most people confuse UX with UI (User Interface), but while UX isn’t UI, UI plays a big role in UX. But so do Interaction Design (IxD), User-Centered Design (UCD) and Human Interface Design (HID). UX is basically the sum of all these disciplines. Put it like this: the other disciplines are the ingredients and together they form the donut.
Universal UX: designed for everyone but not everyone
Face it, everybody’s different; we don’t all like the same color or the same food. Same thing for UX: what might work for some, might not work for others. That’s why there should be a balance to satisfy the needs of everyone, equally (Universal UX).
But what exactly is a Universal UX and how should designers approach this’?The key principle for all UX projects is that you must ensure that you involve users in the design process in some way (Chudley, 2013)’. Since the product is going to be used by users, why not let them give valuable input? By gathering feedback from potential users, the designer can set certain guidelines which will in turn help the user create products that users can feel good about.
But while the sound of a Universal UX sounds good, remember that the opinion of the majority isn’t necessarily the same as mine. While designers do their best to satisfy the (majority of) users, not all users can be equally satisfied. This can be a nuisance for some users but if there’s anything we have learned from the past, is that the opinion of the majority is what really matters.
Enjoyment means loyalty
So how can good UX be of influence to potential repeat visitors? In order to answer this question, we need to look at it from a psychological perspective: People value relationships; people enjoy the company of others who make their lives enjoyable. If we look at it from a marketing perspective we can clearly see that if customers enjoy a certain brand, they will stick to that particular brand and its products. ‘A positive and enjoyable experience, time and time again, creates brand loyalty (Lutchman, 2014)’.
It’s this same perspective that designers should keep in mind when designing products: Make the whole process enjoyable in the hopes of building a long-term relationship with the users. And how can we, as designers, make the whole process enjoyable? By making our designs useful, easy to use, and focused on the needs of the users.
Bibliography
Buchholz, C. (2013, February 19). UX Design Best Practices: An Iterative Approach. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from Single Mind Consulting: http://singlemindconsulting.com/blog/cort-buchholz/ux-designbest-practices-iterative-approach
Chudley, J. (2013, January 24). Effectively Planning UX Design Projects. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/01/24/effectively-planning-ux-designprojects/
Gube, J. (2010, October 5). What Is User Experience Design? Overview, Tools And Resources. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/05/what-isuser-experience-design-overview-tools-and-resources/
Hassenzahl, M. (2013). User Experience and Experience Design. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from Interaction Design: http://www.interactiondesign.org/encyclopedia/user_experience_and_experience_design.html
Lutchman, B. (2014, October 30). Build Customer Loyalty Through Thoughtful Design and UX Considerations. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Bond Brand Loyalty: http://blog.bondbrandloyalty.com/build-customer-loyalty-with-design-and-ux
Reflection
During the time that I spent at CaribMedia I learned a lot about the industry. I learned how to make websites that are easy to use and focused on the user. The impact that the internship has had on me is enormous. Not only did I get to know more about the industry, but I also learnt how it’s like to work in a professional setting with other professionals. I learnt how to communicate effectively and what communication methods to use. The size of the company made it ideal for me to get the feedback that I needed in order to grow. Having asked other interns about the amount of feedback that they received, made it apparent to me if I had chosen another company to do my internship, I wouldn’t have this amount of support.
Before the internship I thought that a visually appealing layout is everything that a website needs in order to increase traffic. But during the internship I was thought that visuals is only a small part of the overall User Experience. The thing about visuals is that it’s too subjective in terms that what is beautiful for some, might not be beautiful for others.
With that being said, it became clear to me that I shouldn’t only focus on the visual aspect, but I should work on the usability of the website. I had to make sure that the sections are displayed correctly, that the correct type of font and font-size is being used, that the space is utilized correctly, that the navigation menu plays an important role as well in determining user satisfaction.
I also had to make sure that the elements within a website or consistent throughout the entire website. An example of this would be the menu being display on top on the front page and somewhere else on the other pages. A website that’s not consistent loses usability.
I learnt that I always had to put the users first and that I should always design for the end user. I have learnt that once users are content about using a website, they will stick to the website, much like a person using the same brand for obvious reasons.
Throughout the internship I made various mistakes during the design process. Some mistakes were bigger than others but I have clearly learnt on how to correct them and why I should correct them. There were times where I didn’t really have a clue on how to correct certain mistakes thanks to the feedback that I was given I have learnt how to not make these mistakes anymore.
I also tested my designs on people, but couldn’t apply the results into my designs due to the limitations of a website specification plan. Also considering the size of the market, clients just wanted a website that’s easy to maintain, is easy to use, and most importantly: doesn’t cost a lot. That’s the reason why the CaribMedia doesn’t test but prefers to build products based on experience and industry knowledge.
Overall, I am satisfied with the vast amount of knowledge and hands-on experience that I have gained during my internship and look forward to complete my program.