Design for Social Good (Paid Internship)

Are you passionate about Design?

Do you think benefits of good design excludes vulnerable communities?

Do you think we should make benefits of Design more accessible to vulnerable communities and the grassroots NGOs who serve them?


Then, this role might be a great fit for you.


About us

At aikyam fellows, We love changemakers and the extraordinary work they do to serve vulnerable communities & the planet. aikyam makes technology accessible to grassroots, small NGOs and help them amplify their impact.


We work from our aikyam space in Kochi, Kerala. (Bangalore, Remote options may also be available)

This position is a Full time position (1-3 months).

Compensation: 10,000 INR per month as a scholarship


Job Description


Design at aikyam

We are a small, diverse team of technologists, service designers, curriculum designers, social workers with deep specialist practitioner skills across all parts of the technology for social good – covering research, design strategy and service design, Human Centred Design, through to content, prototyping and movement.

We display a generalist attitude; an understanding of the whole design process, and can easily navigate, communicate and practice the full spectrum. Our goal is to make technology more accessible to grassroots NGOs.

We are passionate about the possibilities that all aspects of design has for meaningful innovation in the space of technology & society. We work with a diverse set of NGOs and their teams, are collaborative and believe in iterative learning and providing a psychologically safe space for everyone to thrive.


The Role

Designers work on the rapid delivery of user centred experience design across a variety of projects, NGOs and sectors. Our processes are designed to give more agency and power in design to those who are usually never respresented in the design process (Vulnerable Communites, The Planet);

You will contribute to all aspects of our design work; producing UX & UI artefacts from sketches, maps and prototypes through to detailed product design. You will have meaningful input to impactful projects, deliver work with real use for those who really need it and help shape our vibrant design for good community.


What You’ll Do

  1. Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to research, conceive and craft meaningful products and services
  2. Contribute to and support all types of research and design activities; from interviews and workshops through to prototyping and user testing
  3. Rapidly visualise ideas, through collaborative sketching and prototyping
  4. Craft high quality UX & UI artefacts
  5. Present your ideas to peers and make iterative improvements
  6. Have a strong focus on quality and timely delivery
  7. Take an interest in emerging trends, tools and technologies; pushing the creativity and innovation in our work


Flexible working & Remote work - You have autonomy to manage your time and diary to suit your work/life balance.


Qualifications

As a Designer, its preferable but not mandatory that you have some experience in producing UX and UI design to solve a range of problems. You know a range of design tools, techniques and processes, and when to apply them. You are curious and an enthusiastic learner.


Collaboration Skills

  1. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team environment; actively contributing to a safe and respectful environment where the team can do their best work
  2. Collaborative and friendly; working openly and transparently with your team
  3. Communicate clearly and manage expectations about your output
  4. Understand and apply UX best practice while balancing the technical constraints of your project -Enjoy knowledge sharing and learning from others


Practitioner Skills

  1. Understand quantitative and qualitative research techniques and how to use them to uncover user needs.
  2. Understand design thinking; supporting workshop activities and co-creation sessions; both in person and using online tools
  3. Sketch target customer experiences, journeys and interfaces
  4. Create low and high fidelity design artefacts for validation/testing/delivery as required (eg. service blueprints, experience maps, user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, detailed UI design)
  5. Use design, prototyping and collaboration software (eg. Figma, Sketch, Miro or any others you can introduce us to)
  6. Interpret and follow design guidelines


Communication Skills

  1. Good verbal and written communication skills
  2. Present your work clearly and concisely; both in person and using online tools
  3. Sensitively challenge inappropriate ideas and solutions
  4. Question your own thinking and actively seek feedback on your output


We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates like you, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.


We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our team and community is diverse at all levels and that we are representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.




Apply Now