User Experience Intern Review

I really enjoyed my time at Redgate. It was a privilege to be a part of such a wonderfully supportive team that have hugely helped me improve my skills and my confidence. Ten weeks went by in an absolute flash. The free breakfast/lunch ain't too bad either!

Right from the start at Redgate, I realised that I wasn’t going to be sitting around making cups of tea - I was going to be doing real work, on real products. My colleagues always treated me as one of the team and strived to make me feel valued at every opportunity.

My mentor took the time to really understand where I felt my strengths and weaknesses were at that time and we discussed how we could tailor the internship to best suit my needs and inspire improvement. My mentors at Redgate helped me gain a real understanding of the UX process, introduced me to new techniques and ideas, and ultimately allowed me real autonomy to make big design decisions, all the while providing welcome advice as needed.

At no point during my internship was I left with nothing to do. There was always a number of pieces of work I could work on but never did it feel too much. Most of the time, there was a great balance, though as can be expected there was sometimes quiet periods.

I was given much more responsibility than I had perhaps expected an intern to get. While there was always someone on hand to provide advice where it was needed, I was ultimately given real autonomy to make big design decisions which would be implemented in Redgate's products.

This internship has been an immensely rewarding experience for me. I have learned more being in such a productive environment for a brief time than I did in my entire time at University and I am extremely thankful to Redgate for providing me with the opportunity to do so.

The atmosphere at Redgate is fantastic. The people were very friendly and the perks that the company give you are second to none. There is a great work/fun balance - with there being regular breaks to play Mariokart, Table-football or just to grab coffee and a chat with your colleagues

I don't have experience of other internships to compare Redgate with but right from the star my mentor took the time to really understand where I felt my strengths and weaknesses were at that time and we discussed how we could tailor the internship to best suit my needs and inspire improvement.

One of the main things I appreciated about Redgate is the way they nurture improvement. I believe that Redgate getting the balance of guidance and autonomy just right has really helped me improve my skills and confidence as a UX Designer. My mentors at Redgate helped me gain a real understanding of the UX process & introduced me to new techniques and ideas.

I believe that the prospect of future employment at Redgate is a hugely appealing one. For me, it was not the correct move for me at this moment in time however, having created a strong relationship with Redgate I am very open to the possibility of coming back in the future.

One of the most difficult aspects of my internship was having to adjust to life in a strange new city. Moving to a place where you don’t know anyone is never easy but the people at Redgate really helped me to settle in. As well as a number of induction sessions to introduce the new interns to the company, it very quickly became clear that at Redgate, there was an open and friendly culture with lots of opportunities to interact with colleagues socially. 

The only real downside of the internship was how expensive Cambridge is to live in. Redgate however do pay their interns remarkably well so it never became a struggle. Socialising could get expensive at times but thankfully Redgate organise a lot of social events outwith work at their own expense.

Whether it was an office-outing to punt along the River Cam or an after-work visit to the pub (of which there were a few), there was never a shortage of exciting things to do or friendly faces to do it with. Cambridge isn't hugely bustling with nightlife but there are a number of great pubs to visit.

Redgate went above and beyond to make sure myself and the other interns felt valued during our time here and really helped us fit in to the team. It was refreshing to join a workforce with such a mix of great personalities and friendly people. Part of this was the amount of opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work, whether that was the social activities mentioned above or joining some of the many guilds and sports clubs available at Redgate.