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Hello! My name is Tyrone Ko and I am a graduate at California State University East Bay, (Spring 2019) interning for the User Experience Design Team.

One of the biggest things that I have learned so far during my tenure at Quicken is patience. I had to understand that designing a product is a marathon, not a sprint, and through the iterative process of design, I was forced to work, fix, and work some more.

When I experienced positive feedback and have people comment on how good my designs were, it was a special feeling. But on the other hand, the expectation of being a designer means getting feedback and creating the necessary improvements for the product. That can be challenging. Wherever my next journey takes me when my internship ends, I have learned to understand that I am going to interact with all sorts of different personalities and remain calm during design critiques. I have learned to understand that people depend on me to get the job done because they believe in my skill sets as a designer. I have learned that they trust me to deliver on those results and receive and act on feedback.

It was a privilege to do the work because as a designer I take pride that my design goes out to the public. I take a lot of pleasure in the fact that I can impact people through my role in the projects I have made an imprint on. From projects like the deferred checkout for Quicken’s subscription page to working with other interns as a team designing beta project’s landing page, I got real world experience on designing products that an average user would rely upon.

It has been a euphoric experience working at a company like Quicken. Seeing how people operate, work as a team to make sure everyone is on the same page, attend meetings, and interact with people of different backgrounds has helped me grow as a designer and as a person. Of the many things I enjoy about Quicken, some of my favorites come from its laid-back atmosphere and treatment of its employees. In fact, my favorite moment as an intern at Quicken was go-karting. As a racing enthusiast myself, recording a fast time like 29.979 was an incredible feeling! But aside from that, the employees at Quicken have been welcoming, honest, and approachable in every capacity. They have been able to share their experiences about what got them to where they are at and also give time to help me understand key parts of my projects that I had trouble grasping.

I am forever grateful for this internship experience. Even though I am only 13 months into my UX Design career, this has been an invaluable learning opportunity. I will continue to be motivated and get better to improve my skill sets. Quicken has allowed me to get closer to my goal of becoming a professional UX Designer. There’s more to life than our own unique successes as individuals. One day, there will be a point of time in my life where someone who is starting out as a designer may ask for advice down the road. I want to take on that responsibility for that individual to succeed and have a small impact I made to their life. All thanks to Quicken for giving me a starting point.