UX Designer Review

I enjoyed my placement massively. The placement as a whole far exceeded my expectations of what a placement in industry could be. I got the opportunity to work on projects that I didn't expect to be able to as a student and managed to gain experience beyond just Matalan in external events and partnerships, all because of Matalan.

Very much so. In meeting from the very start I was encouraged to share my opinions and when I did so everyone showed genuine interest and intrigue in my point of view. Members of the team would seek out my opinion on their own work and didn't treat me like a student, rather another member of the team.

Management provided regular catchups and 1:1 which acted as a nice opportunity to receive and give feedback. Management helped me celebrate my successes and figure out the areas where I could improve further. They also often asked for what I wanted from the placement that I hadn't gotten yet, and they made it happen.

From the beginning of my placement I was kept very busy day to day. Being treated as just another designer rather than a placement mean't that there was no reluctance to giving me design work over any of the other designers. Within my first few weeks I already had work published on the Matalan website.

After my first few weeks at Matalan when I had fully settled in I started to be given a massive amount of responsibility. Most notably I was allowed to be design lead on one of their large roadmap initiatives . This mean't me leading regular design playbacks, making important decisions regarding the look and feel of the feature and producing work that will be seen by millions of users a week.

The skills I have developed whilst on placement had allowed me to produce work much more closely in line with industry standards and best practices. The work I now feature in my portfolio is justified by industry experience and a better understanding on what makes an effective design. In future portfolio reviews I will be able to justify the design decisions I have made with the experience I have gained.

The atmosphere was very relaxed but professional. Staff are trusted to complete the work that they need to complete without micro management from staff. Everyone wears comfortable clothes and upper management get fully involved in the cultural and social aspects of the team.

Incredibly well. Much of the management team has had experience with placements in the past meaning they were well aware of the challenges I would face and how best to set up my 12 months so I would get the most out of it. They were incredibly flexible in allowing me to determine much of what up to over the 12 months to ensure it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

In terms of in office working I was given increasingly more challenging tasks requiring a higher standard of work and responsibility. Beyond this the placement students were regularly taken on masterclass sessions to develop skills in areas such as presenting, personal development and leadership. I was also encouraged to attend external events and was even placed on a panel at an international conference by a member of the management team. This was a fantastic opportunity to build connections within the industry and develop personally with my confidence when presenting.

There's clear pathways for progressing within the company and they have openly expressed the potential for opportunities after my placement. The culture/social side of the business and the projects I have been able to work on would make me strongly consider Matalan for a future career in User Experience Design.

There was consistent effort to create a good social scene amongst the students. For example social events were planned to places like Ghetto Golf for the students and paid for by Matalan. However, with Matalan head office being very large, if you work in a team where none of the other students work, you can find that your interaction with the other students is very limited.

Fortunately I was able to live at home during my placement. I am aware though that other students that did have to move into the area for their placement have not found the cost of living unmanageable.

Liverpool has a fantastic night life. Lots to do across the whole city ranging from mini golf to night clubs. Definitely an area to reccommend for social types.

Lots. I attended countless networking events where I was able to interact with other companies within the industry and create relationships and contacts. Matalan made a conscious effort to involve me in as many external events as possible.