My time at Hinge! It has been a learning curve 📈.

It has been 2 months since I started my internship at Hinge and I must say these 2 months have been the most fruitful.  

Let me tell you a bit more about myself. I’m currently completing my MSc Digital Design at Solent University – the masters degree I’m doing is aimed at people who want to convert to a career in Digital Design, but have different background – and I am one of those people (if you are wondering what my background is, I’ve been working in business development – fashion industry). So, you can imagine, there have been a few challenges along the way – the good kind of challenge.

I was thrilled to start working at Hinge, however, I had no idea what to expect. So, 2 months and I can surely tell you that getting an internship / placement while you’re studying is one thing every student should be doing. You ask me why? Well, here are a few reasons that might convince you: 

• Practical background – real life experience. Learning theories and methodologies is good, but sometimes you find out that real life is completely different.
• You will learn a massive deal about yourself – what can I achieve? How much time will I need to complete this? Can I push myself further? These questions are on my mind all the time.

Talking about the specifics of the job, the journey has been a rollercoaster with lot’s of learning and absorbing. We’re all going to make mistakes, but the most important thing is to learn from them.

So what have I learned during my time at Hinge?

👥 Having a mentor is vital when you are starting out in the industry 

Here at Hinge I am lucky to have Tash –  a very talented UX/UI designer. She is constantly challenging me, asking the right questions to make me think differently and always keeping in mind users’ what ifs! I would say it has been one of the challenges for me – to change my thinking from “I like it this way” to what are our user types? What their needs are? What is the user flow? 

🕞 No two days are the same 

And this is a good thing! Constant learning and development! In one day I might need to put myself in the shoes of a newlyweds couple, people looking for jobs, or people who might want to rent a house for the holiday to understand what type of experience they would want. 

🆎 Typography

Typography is a big deal! Good typography is vital for readability, accessibility and of course usability. I have to admit I still find it challenging to master, but hey I am learning and making great progress.

▶️ Working with components (Figma) 

It was my first time ever that I used Figma and I was amazed at how working with components makes the whole process so much more efficient. It allows me to reuse existing components that in turn makes my designs more consistent. 

📝 It is not just about design, knowing how to write a UX copy is important as it puts your design into context

The initial research helps to understand the user and their needs. And having a well written copy in the beginning helps to keep users in mind through the entire design process. It’s very important not to present designs with Lorem Ipsum text as this doesn’t set the context for the client/user reviewing the designs. 

💭 Thinking about user stories and user journeys is a must at every stage

User stories are a vital part in design process, they always help to keep the user in the centre of the design process. For example, while working on a landing page for a project, user stories have helped me to stay more emphatic towards users and better understand their needs. 

🖥 I just have to mention 8 point grid!

I can not even describe how much easier my life is now when I have been introduced to 8 point grid  It’s far more efficient to work with, consistent and of course aesthetically pleasing. If you are not working with 8 point Grid yet, I strongly suggest you should! 

To sum it up, I would say if you are a student, getting an internship while you are studying is the only advice I can give. Applying knowledge in practice, learning the specifics of a workplace, gaining professional feedback… it all will help on the way to achieving your dreams just a little bit faster ❤️