Design@Large-palooza: Summer D@L Tips and Tricks from MDes2023

Design@Large-palooza is a two weeks-long extravaganza of events and engagements showcasing the D@L experiences of the MDes2023 cohort. Students will provide the newest MDes cohort with actionable tips and tricks, resources, and insights for their own D@L summer 2024 preparations.

EVENTS

Panel: UX Design Internships

Monday 9/11 2:30-3:30pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

Interested in learning more about UX Design roles? Come learn from this crew of MDes2023 students who did internships in UX Design at early stage startups to enterprise-size companies. They’ll give you insights into what UX is all about and will provide you with actionable tips on how to navigate the whole job search process.

Panelists

• David Duarte – UI/UX Designer @ MINT
• Ziyi Zhou – UI/UX Visual Design Intern @ DEKA Research and Development Corp.
• Yanyi Mai – UX Design Intern @ Cisco
• Yue Fan – Junior Concept Designer @ HTC Creative Labs

A Conversation About Conversational Design

Wednesday 9/13 3-4pm in Jacobs 10

Conversations are ubiquitous, and today, they transcend human-human interactions. With the advent of Generative AI and LLMs, conversations have crept in to pose as the forerunner in Human-Computer Interactions. We have witnessed this transition in consumer tech (ChatGPT) and it’s just a matter of time before it rules the enterprise space as well.

This past summer, Samriddho Ghosh worked at Oracle’s Conversational Design Team where he had the opportunity to implement some of the most intriguing nuances of Conversation Design, specifically from a GenAI perspective. Designing conversational experiences for GenAI applications sounds interesting, but it can be daunting and unclear as a career path since it’s such an emergent field.

As someone who plans to return to Oracle’s Conversation Design team, Samriddho will share his experiences as a conversational designer, debunk myths about the field and explain why now is the time to be a conversational designer.

Presenter

• Samriddho Ghosh – Conversational Designer at Oracle

 

AMA: All About Consulting

Monday 9/18 2-3pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

If you love working on a variety of types of projects and thrive in fast paced environments, consulting could be a great fit for you. Come learn from two MDes students who joined consulting firms for their Summer 2023 Design@Large experiences. You’ll learn about what makes consulting unique and how to position yourself for these kinds of roles and prepare for interviews. Bring your questions!

Participants

• Nian Tong – Design Intern @ IDEO Shanghai
• Neel Shah – Product Design Engineer Intern @ Tact Product Development Inc.

 

Panel: Hardware Internships

Monday 9/18 3-4pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

Have you ever heard the saying ‘hardware is hard’? Well, getting an internship in hardware shouldn’t necessarily have to be. Come learn from this wonderful panel of three MDes 2023 students about their experiences landing hardware internships. Get tips on applying and interviewing and insights into what skills and tools are valued in these roles.

Panelists

• Shikha Shah – Process Engineering Design Intern @ Augmental
• Jin Yutao – UAS Engineer at Hylio
• Wonjoon Oh – Mechanical Engineer @ Tesla

 

Panel: Landing a Research Position

Friday 9/22, 2-3pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

Are you interested in exploring a career in academia or research or considering pursuing a PhD? Come join us for this exciting panel discussion with four MDes2023 students who secured research positions at universities both here in the US and abroad for their Design@Large experiences. We’ll be covering everything from how to identify opportunities to best practices for connecting with professors to considerations for continuing education and submitting PhD applications. You won’t want to miss this!

Panelists

• Dongho Shin – Visiting Scholar @ MIT Media Lab, Fluid Interface Group
• Karthika Baiju – Visiting Student Researcher @ Everyday Design Studio, Simon Fraser University
• Zixun Huang – Graduate Student Researcher @ FHL Vive Center, UC Berkeley
• Aaron Li – Design Research Fellow, BMW Group + JIDI

 

Panel: Product Design Internships

Monday 9/25 12-1pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

Interested in learning more about digital product design roles? Come learn from this fabulous group of MDes2023 students who did internships in product design at really diverse companies this summer. They’ll give you insights into their day-to-day work and will provide you with actionable tips on how to develop a portfolio that stands out and how to prepare for interviews. 

Panelists

• Ronan Chen – Product Design Intern @ The Washington Post
• Phyllis Fei – Product Design Intern @ Autodesk
• Simian He – Product Designer @ Duolingo
• Kabeer Andrabi – Product Design Intern @ Ripple

 

Panel: 🎶 You Can Go Your Own Way 🎶

Monday 9/25 2-3pm in Jacobs Hall Room 10

We want your D@L experience to be a meaningful professional experience for YOU. We really encourage you to get creative with what this experience could look like and the many ways it can benefit you and help you build skills in areas of interest. We’re inspired by these three MDes students who blazed their own trail and came up with really interesting medleys of experiences for their D@L. Come join the panel discussion to learn how they did it and get inspired! Fleetwood Mac, anyone?

Panelists

• Carmela Wilkins – Aeronautics Design Sprint Intern @ NASA + Food System Designer @ African Alliance of Rhode Island
• Hae Sung Park – Design Exhibition Tour + Immersion in Inca Culture + Skill Incubation
• Ellie Hoshizaki – Web Developer @ The Center for Equity, Gender & Leadership (EGAL) +  “Vibes” Independent Project via BCNM Summer Research Award + Volunteer @ The Exploratorium

 

Panel: Breaking into Big Tech

Tuesday 9/26 3:30-4:30 in Jacobs Hall Room 10

Big tech companies are notoriously competitive to get into. Fortunately, several MDes students landed internships in big tech for their Summer 2023 Design@Large experiences, and they’ve got some tips and insights to share with you. Join us for this panel discussion to get the inside scoop on everything from the application process to navigating referrals to interviewing.

Panelists

• Lingke Song – Hardware Engineer Intern @ Google
• Ye Moon Cho – Experience Designer @ Adobe
• Grace Thompson – Product Design Validation Engineer Intern @ Apple

 

AMA: Founding a Startup

Wednesday 9/27 12-1pm in Jacobs Hall 10C

Designers make great founders; they understand the needs and experiences of their users and are able to bring that empathy along with their agility and curiosity to bear on some really thorny problems. Several MDes alumni and current students have founded their own companies and have capitalized on resources at UC Berkeley to take their ideas to the next level. If you have any interest in founding your own company or joining a startup, come hear from two of your very own MDes’ians on their experiences founding companies and going through the SkyDeck Incubator. You’ll get actionable advice on how to leverage resources here on campus and on what it takes to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Bring your questions!

Participants

• Helena Kent – Cofounder @ Nano
• Jahnavi Jambholkar – Cofounder @ Frida

 

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Questions?  Reach out to Stephanie Bianco, Director of Career Services.