Candyspace opens its doors to work experience students

In June, Candyspace invited five students from our Women in Technology initiative Now+Next and our partnership with Drive Forward Foundation to join us for a week-long, immersive work experience programme. Our work experience programme forms part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion.

Our work experience programme is designed to give students hands-on experience of working in digital. 

To kick off the week, our team of experts took the students on a crash course of all things UX. The team hosted a range of sessions including UX Design Basics, UX Research and Wireframing.

Then, the students were able to put their knowledge to the test by designing their own mobile app based on a real client brief. 

Discovery

The students were tasked with creating an app for pet lovers, based on our previous work with Mars Petcare. 

During the discovery stage, initial interviews were conducted with pet owners in order to better understand what users were looking for in an app and find the sweetspot between business needs and customer demands. 

While conducting user interviews allowed the students to gain important insights into their audience, it also allowed them to develop confidence and take full ownership of the project.

Following the interviews, the students turned to Figma to begin the design process, using the information they had gathered to begin mapping out designs.

Design

Now it was time for the students to flex their creative muscles and put their design skills to work. 

The students began by creating wireframe sketches to map out the design and feel of their product. Using the skills learned in their earlier sessions, the students were able to create designs which combined style with functionality.

Our team were on hand to assist and give feedback throughout the process. The students were encouraged to ask questions where needed, to help better understand how to create a product which would be loved by their users. This gave them real-life insight into what it's like to work within a team at a digital agency.

Throughout the design phase, our team held regular design critique sessions, giving feedback on how the students could make their products more functional and accessible.

Using the feedback they had received during these sessions, the students finalised their designs, creating prototype apps to present back to the group.

Inspire

Launched in 2022, Now+Next is an initiative that aims to redress the gender imbalance within digital and technology by inspiring and guiding schoolgirls to pursue STEM subjects. Since its launch, Now+Next has reached over 4,000 schoolgirls across 17 UK schools.

Drive Forward Foundation are a non-profit organisation who help young adults leaving foster or residential care get into employment. Since partnering with Drive Forward in 2022, Candyspace have held regular one-to-one mentoring sessions and work experience programmes to help equip care-experienced young adults with the skills they need to succeed.

Our work with Now+Next and Drive Forward forms part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion. Read more about our commitments here.