I'm working on it..

Chloe Lam
Graphic and Media Design

I started my internship in August at IBM, working in the Global Strategy and Market Development Team in IBM iX. For those who doesn't know what IBM iX does we work at the intersection of strategy, creativity and technology to help our clients digitally reinvent their businesses. My role focuses primarily on communications, marketing and internal knowledge management- producing written and digital content, designing the look and feel of our assets and collateral and ensuring the 17,000 employees of IBM iX around the world feel connected and part of the IBM iX community. Also supporting the global leader of IBM iX- along with the rest of my team.

Some things that I've done so far into this internship; a Barclays proposal book, weekly newsletters and a Roche account book (near 100 pages)- which was taken to Switzerland, building and taking care of the IBM iX internal site. It has been an eye opener of how big IBM operates globally and amazing to see all the great work that IBM has done and is doing. 

Although this company is great, my team is great, the department I work in produce amazing work for clients such as; Audi, BP, Shell, Wimbledon e.t.c.. but I haven't been able to do what I want to learn- UI/UX design. I'm in the right department but not in the right role- if I'm going to be honest.. I'm half worried half not?! If that makes sense. I have been assured by my manager and others that there will be opportunities for me to do UI/UX design but it's been two and half months and I haven't been able to join any external projects which I can be from start to end. UI/UX is something that I've been wanting to do for  a few years now- I want to learn how things operate in a project from point A to point B. 

Talking to previous interns they have been able to do what they've been interested in and learnt so much from shadowing people, joining projects e.t.c- which makes me not worry so much and should just wait until the time is right. In this year I set myself to definitely learn more about UI/UX design in depth, but also to learn other things that I wouldn't normally be comfortable with which IBM has been able to do. Things like; film editing, publications, marketing, speaking to people I'm not familiar with- especially with people abroad! 

It has been a great learning experience all about global IBM iX, but what I'm learning wasn't in my plan this year on DPS. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to join a project and shadow someone who is a UI/UX designer and contribute into user research, working with Sketch and Invision, wireframing, brain storming ideas e.t.c. It hasn't been easy doing something that I didn't initially plan on doing but it has taught me things I didn't know before and marketing isn't something that won't me useful for me in the future.