ORACLE
Timeline: 12 weeks
My Role: UX Design Intern
Tools: Figma, Confluence, & Jira
During the summer of 2023, I joined Oracle as a User Experience Design Intern within the Financial Services Global Business Unit. Over the course of 12 weeks, I redesigned the operations app experience. Details and deliverables related to this design project are confidential under Oracle policy. Please continue reading to learn about my design approach, types of action items I completed during this internship, and reflections.
APPROACH, TASKS, & REFLECTION
APPROACH AND TASKS
Throughout my project, I utilized both the Redwood and Financial Services Cloud Design Philosophies. The majority of my work can be divided into three categories: research, design, and handoff.
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Research (Discovery and Clarity of Purpose) #1: By conducting interviews, I gathered insights. To make meaning of various data points and communicate my findings, I created the following deliverables: mind maps, user goal statements, user flows, success criteria and shape of data statements.
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Design #1: I started the design process by assessing existing Financial Services Cloud design patterns. I implemented these patterns based on my use case, met with engineering to ensure technical feasibility and iterated sub elements within the pattern, such as save flows and directionalities. Eventually, it was determined that a new design pattern was needed.
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Research #2: In order to ensure that my designs communicate accurate information to the user, I needed to deepen my research and improve my understanding various data sources, both from the backend and from the user.
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Design #2: After the second round of research, I was prepared to implement my additional findings and create a new design pattern. I conducted rapid ideation, wireframing, and low and high fidelity prototyping as I met with engineering and product to collectively problem solve feasibility obstacles and review research findings. At the same time, I gathered feedback from senior designers and implemented Redwood Design components. The design phase culminated in my production of 5 Figma flows.
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Handoff: I created a slide deck with an overview of my findings and deliverables. I independently delivered the 45 minute presentation and a 15 minute question and answer session, providing additional design rationale. The audience comprised senior engineers, senior product managers, and senior designers.
REFLECTION
I had an incredible internship experience at Oracle, filled with many challenges and learning opportunities. My largest challenge, and subsequent learning takeaway, was becoming a pro at working through ambiguity. Compared to other UX Design Interns at Oracle, I worked autonomously on my project, which necessitated developing a knack for decision-making in the absence of immediate peer input. This experience honed my ability to chart a clear course of action independently, allowing me to effectively utilize formal check-ins with my manager.
Additionally, the product I contributed to designing was not yet available on the market, presenting a unique obstacle: the absence of direct user access during the research phase. To overcome this limitation, I leaned into cross-functional collaboration, iterative design processes, and deep dives into the problem context.
Lastly, the value of feedback, and gaining feedback often, was emphasized throughout my internship. After receiving a critical piece of feedback 9 weeks into my internship, I had to restart my design phase. While I completed my entire project within the tight deadline, this experience underscored the necessity of continuous feedback integration throughout the entirety of the design process, rather than just the tailend.