Where did you get your internship and why did you apply there?

What interested you or attracted you to this particular internship and why?

I did my research internship in Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing, Indian Institute of Science, Banglore. The department, chaired by Prof.Amaresh Chakrabarti, a pioneer of field of design research, was one of the few centres in the country dealing with design research and development. The activities there called for innovation and creativity, which is exciting to practice and work upon.

How did you get your internship?

Was it through the college or off-campus or through a senior/prof or through an internship website?

I directly mailed the professor, stating my interest. I did sent mails to few other professors as well.

What was your internship about?

I worked as part of a team, which modified a software tool being devoloped at CPDM, IISC. It aims to guide designers through a structured design process, helped by design methods and governed by sustainability definitions. Such a process promotes innovation, sustainability and creativity in the designs being devoloped.

How was the work culture?

The work culture at IISc was something that inspired me to the core. Everyone, including the professors and research assistants, were helpful and humble too. The timings were flexible, we just had to make sure the work is done and deadlines are met. When the people around you show such professionalism and character, you too tend to leave behind your laziness and work sincerely.

What did you learn during the internship?

Was it challenging for you to do it? What new skills did you develop?

The field of design research is relatively unexplored, yet it has relevance in every single product or service you use on a daily basis. So I got to explore more about it and could understand how it is carried out in different fields. I worked on designing few products when given constraints to work under. I also learned about various aspects when a product is launched and made available in the market.

The outcome of our Research was a more modified and renovated software tool with an expanded database and user friendly features.

Tell us about the fun/ interesting incidents during the course of your internship.

My team was made up of 8 people, 7 from mechanical background and a Coder. We got along really well and the whole 2 months was fun filled. We went to explore the city on weekends.

What advice would you give to juniors regarding your internship?

Would you recommend a junior undergoing a similar internship at the same place you went?

Design field is really interesting for all the creative and innovative minds. But the experimental methods employed here are more like questionnaire, video ethnography and doesn’t have the experiments in a laboratory setup that many has in mind when you hear about a research internship. It is all upto your interests.