Daniel set us a task this week and it is all about company research-
Task – Find 3 examples of local companies that you admire, represent great work and that you would like to work for; also find 3 examples of international design firms that you believe are world- leading and produce expectional work.
Local companies-
I took a look at some Belfast based UX / Design companies and I chose my top 3-
Instil
Instil is a well known Belfast based design company. They are all about delighting their customers with brilliantly engineered software and to educate developers globally with the know-how to do the same. They are a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of engineers, designers, educators and producteers focused on positive impact and change for good. They work with some of the world’s best known technology brands, helping them create the next generation of software products that challenge and inspire people to think, feel and act in new ways. Their website was inspiring and they have some really cool projects up on their page, I think this would be a really cool local company to work for and I will apply for placement here hopefully.
ESO-
ESO is another local business to Belfast but the also have some offices in America too. ESO is a company all about designing systems for paramedics, this would be an awesome placement- you are essentially helping to save lives with your designs. This could feel like high pressure but I think this would be a really rewarding place to work. This company gives of such an empathetic and sincere vibe and approach to their designs, they have to be to do the type of work they are doing which I think would be an awesome place to work. I think place would really help you develop as a person as well as a designer.
Sugar rush
Another local company I chose to include in my research is Sugar Rush…
They have a really impressive client reel including Game of Thrones and BBC, which is really awesome. they also work with vr/ar as well as phone apps which is something that I am keen to learn more about in the future. They have won a lot of awards which they talk about on their blog site on their website which I think is a really cool feature. I think this business has some real potential and is already accomplished so much which is really cool to see local businesses doing so much. From looking at this companies Instagram is looks like a really fun place to work.
International companies-
I then took a look at companies based all over the world…
Momontum design lab-
They are a UX agency who combine human empathy and intelligent data to make digital product experiences better. They are globally rated the number 1 UX agency for 4 years in a row.
their end users through research & insights and they believe in collaboration and co-creation. When I was looking at their work I discovered that they were had innovative user focused design solutions. They also have offices all over the world and in silicone valley which would be so amazing.
Clay – San francisco
As a full-service UX design agency, who work closely with our clients to define, design and develop transformative user experiences across all platforms and brand’s touchpoints. I have previously looked at the work they did for slack last year and I really admired their work. link- here. They have such an impressive client list and to work in San Francisco would be such a dream, imagine all of the amazing knowledge and skills I would learn here from such professionals within the UX community.
An impressive client list-
IDEO
The last company is IDEO- I would love to work here. This design company is so well known and their work is top notch. They have produced work for so many amazing companies and the work they do is inspiring, like designing the first ever mouse for Apple back in the day! They have looked at building school education systems and they are all about making things better for the user, on their About section they are all about making a positive impact on the world. they have offices in Tokyo and Chicago and I am keen to go anywhere so I definitely want to apply here, you never know unless you try!
Reflection
This task has got me very excited for applying for placement. I am nervous but I want to challenge myself and apply for places that I feel are ‘out of reach’ as you never know where this could lead you. I think that this research is beneficial and this has showed me that if you don’t apply you will never know so it has been very encouraging. I am a very ambitious person and I am keen to travel and get away so doing a placement away from home is a big goal for me and I hope I will be able to achieve it. I will begin my applications for placement soon, I am excited to see where this could lead to.