Earlier this year, we announced our exciting partnership with Accenture Song and the development of an ongoing UX Design Institute and Accenture Song Internship Programme.
Two of our graduates – Iman El Sayed and Bobby McGill – are the first people to take part in this exciting new programme, which sees them working with diverse teams, solving design problems and collaborating on client-facing programmes across multiple industries in Accenture Song’s Dublin office.
They are one month into their placement and we caught up with them to see how they’re settling in.
Iman El Sayed: Pharma to UX
What is your background?
I have a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology in Croatia. After graduating, I got my first role in a pharmaceutical company and worked on clinical trials. I moved to Ireland in the summer of 2019 and since pharma was the only sector I had experience in, I continued working there.
Why did you make the leap into UX?
I always knew I wanted to do something creative. As music is a passion of mine, I thought it was the only area I can be creative in but I also knew my chances of making it in that industry were very small, hence the Environmental Engineering degree. In early 2020, I realised that at 27 years old, I can’t give up on myself by being in a job that didn’t fulfil me.
I started learning HMTL and CSS and somehow through that, I got into UX design. I immediately felt attracted to the idea, as it involves both creative and analytical skills.
Also, the idea of having an impact and helping people navigate the digital world through empathy sounded too cool to miss out on!
How did you find your experience with the UX Design Institute?
The UX Design Institute made my wish of becoming a UX designer true. I really loved that it was self-paced and that you can do it online from the comfort of your own home. It allowed me to continue working my nine-to-five and study at the same time. The courses are structured brilliantly – it just makes the whole learning process really fun! I also loved the resources that were provided because they helped me build a UX library I’m proud of!
What do you hope to learn from the UX Design Institute Accenture Song Internship Programme?
I’d love to learn more about collaboration with different stakeholders and how the design process comes to life in practical situations. I’d love to see how UX principles are utilised when there are constraints like budgets, timelines and client requests. I’m also very interested in the ideation process as well as testing and validation.
What skills and outlook will you bring to the workplace?
I’d say my main skills would be creative thinking, as well as my background in clinical trials as they are currently undergoing a major digital transformation. There are a lot of pharma companies that need UX designers right now. I hope that with my background I can bring a fresh perspective to the role.
What do you love the most about UX?
I feel like working as a UX designer is never boring. From problem-solving to working across different industries, there’s always something new going on. I also love that it can be done within a big company, a start-up or freelance, which is something not many jobs have.
Bobby McGill: Graphic Designer to UX Designer
What is your background?
I have a degree in Visual Communications and have been working in graphic design for over 10 years. I’ve worked in creative roles across a number of industries, holding positions from Graphic Designer, Photo Editor and Visual Design Lead. I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in many exciting projects while freelancing, producing branding and marketing material for food brands, a local brewery, production companies to name a few! I also have held roles in customer service which all help me going forward in the UX industry.
Why did you make the leap into UX?
With many years of design experience under my belt, working with clients from my freelance roles and in-house, I’ve always liked creating a solution for clients and helping them on their journey. I’ve always possessed a keen interest and curiosity for technology and how the industry has changed over the years.
As the term “UX” became more prevalent, it definitely sparked an interest in me. During Covid I reflected on where I really wanted my career to go, what satisfaction I wanted from a job and where my passion lies. I came across UX Design Institute and am so glad I took the leap and invested in myself and my career.
How did you find your experience with the UX Design Institute?
My experience was so much more than I had anticipated. The course is brilliantly crafted to give students the technical, foundation knowledge of UX. Learning the full UX process in stages, followed by putting this knowledge to use practically for your assignments.
When it’s all put together, you have an incredibly strong case study to incorporate into your professional portfolio. It was also fantastic to have a community of students on the same journey as you. Although virtual, it was great to engage with some many people from different backgrounds.
Learning aside, the support from the Student Success team was a highlight for me. Having been out of a learning setting for many years they were incredibly helpful. A huge thank you to them; always so encouraging and accessible for any question; they are really invested in the students getting the most from the course!
What do you hope to learn from the UX Design Institute Accenture Song Internship Programme?
I’m thrilled to be one of the first UX Design Institute students to be involved in this partnership. I’m excited to work with industry professionals at the top of their game, getting the opportunity to work on some really exciting projects for clients of the highest calibre is a huge professional milestone for me already!
The exposure that we will receive to all levels and roles within Accenture is also exciting, it will be great to learn from so many people across the business, building my network and I’ll really value their feedback – I can already tell that although I have just started, my opinion and input is valued and the academic knowledge I can bring will hopefully make an impact within the project teams.
What skills and outlook will you bring to the workplace?
Having worked in the design industry for many years I will bring the creative and technical ability. But I think the soft skills I have gained over the years will benefit me most in this role. The communication skills I learned in my customer service positions will really aid me, as well as the experience of dealing with clients when freelancing. Understanding the client and being able to advise, empathise and also educate them on the technical elements in a digestible way for them to understand is so important as a UX designer.
From working in many cross functional teams, I understand the importance of being able to collaborate and work efficiently in a wider team to achieve a common goal.
What do you love the most about UX?
I really enjoy providing a solution to a problem the client has; whether they be a small start-up or a multinational company, the process and core principles remain the same. Being able to still use my creative side is a bonus. I also love that it is an iterative process, there’s so much to learn and feedback is so important to progression in a project. I’m so excited to have joined this programme and kickstart my UX career in a way that I could never have imagined.
More about the UX Design Institute and Accenture Song Internship Programme
As part of the UX Design Institute and Accenture Song Internship Programme, Iman and Bobby get to immerse themselves in real-life UX practices with various clients and teams. They are the first two UX Design Institute students to take part in this programme and as we develop our partnership with Accenture Song, there will be more opportunities for our students to work alongside with the cross-functional teams in Accenture Song.
Iman’s line manager, Experience Strategist Eloise McNamee, has this to say about Iman’s contribution to Accenture Song so far:
“Iman is one of two graduates we’ve had from the UX Design Institute that has joined us here at Accenture Song on a three-month internship as part of our new partnership. She has come with loads of ideas and jumped right into working life in Accenture Song. Iman immediately found amazing relevant content in our patient recruitment for our client.”
She took on the translation of our research into the actual patient profiles that we were generating and has even stepped in to present to the client when the rest of the team had technical issues.
“Iman’s main role currently involved supporting the insights gathering workstream, which will inform the recommendations that we make to the client in the future, as well as our direction in terms of customer experience. She has been an amazing addition to the team delivering high quality outputs, getting involved with the team and showing enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn. Thank you for everything you’ve done so far Iman and for being such a pleasure to work with!”
Bobby’s team lead, Experience Strategy Consultant Stuart Miller, has this so say about Bobby’s contribution so far:
“Bobby has settled in to life very quickly having been thrown in at the deep end; joining Electric Ireland client meetings from the get-go to listen in and try to understand everything that’s going on in our remit since working with them since November 2021 up until now. Bobby has joined my Accenture Song Experience Strategy Design Team, where we’re tasked at looking at the Customer Experience for Electric Ireland’s Online Portal for ROI Residential Customers, as well as their Smart Pay-as-you-Go (PAYG) product offerings & customer journeys.”
Bobby’s main role involves supporting us with research and providing industry best practice POV’s (point of views) to assist us when making recommendations to the client for any proposed CX changes. He’s been a great addition to the team and is adding lots of value so far to date.
“I’ve no doubt he will continue to learn a lot about the utilities industry through the lens of Customer Experience, Strategy, Research and UX/UI. Meanwhile, he will continue to build up his core consulting and client relationship skills that are vital to have and succeed as a Consulting Analyst in our organisation. Thank you for everything you’ve done so far and keep up the great work.”
