This past summer, I was a UX Design and Research Intern at Gulfstream Aerospace within the Stress Analysis department. There were only two UX professionals in the team - me and a UX Engineering Intern. It was an exciting opportunity to blend my engineering background with my UX education as I designed four new internal tools for aerospace engineers in the IEF (Innovation, Engineering, and Flight) Unit.

Being the sole UX Designer brought challenges, from balancing user needs with design best practices to quickly learning complex aerospace workflows. However, I also got the chance to conduct hands-on user research, collaborate closely with front-end engineers and 3D graphics developers, and strengthen my visual design skills, creating high-fidelity prototypes in Figma.

This experience made me a better designer by teaching me how to balance user needs with business goals in a complex, technical setting. It pushed me to adapt quickly and focus on creating functional, intuitive tools that enhance engineers’ workflows and drive impactful results.