Inside Zenduty: My Experience as a Product Design Intern
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My journey as a product designer began at Zenduty. The 4-month internship at their HSR Layout, Bangalore office was part of my final year graduation project at NIFT-Kannur.
Coming from a communications internship at a couture atelier, Zenduty offered a completely different experience. The contrast wasn't just in designations but also in the responsibilities I undertook.
The Application Process
When I first visited Zenduty's website, I was intrigued by their work. Despite feeling a bit nervous, I was eager to become part of their team. So, when I got shortlisted for the interview, I knew I had to take this chance.
The interview was a crucial point for me. Manush Kaliyath, my internship mentor (and Product Designer II at Zenduty), designed a whiteboard exercise to evaluate my skills.
Being my first on-the-spot evaluation, I craved feedback, even if it meant rejection. Manush was really helpful. He took the time to explain what could be done better and gave great suggestions.
Following the assessment, I had a direct conversation with Vishwa Krishnakumar, Zenduty's CEO and co-founder. His passion for the company was palpable, and he genuinely surprised me by offering the internship opportunity right at the end of the interview.
Anjali Udasi
Onboarding and Initial Projects
My onboarding was smooth, and I was set up with a Macbook Pro to begin my work.
At first, understanding the product was challenging, but the team patiently explained everything, even using pop culture references like "The Office" to make it more fun and understandable.
My initial assignments focused on visual and website design tasks.
I had the opportunity to research and design a key section of the website: the comparison page for Pagerduty alternatives.Working through the entire development process was incredibly rewarding.
Additionally, I was tasked with designing the website's call to action (CTA) and navigation bar, which helped me understand website design better.
As with any new role, there was a lot to learn. Incident management was a completely new field for me, so I took the initiative to bridge the knowledge gap. I attended internal product sessions, watched relevant videos on Zenduty's YouTube channel, and had in-depth discussions with my mentor.
At first, learning about incident management for my project was tough. It was hard to grasp how the product worked and make good design choices. But, with time, I got the hang of it.
Anjali Udasi
Company Culture
Everyone I met, from engineers to the CEO, were friendly and always willing to help. This welcoming environment, along with the interesting product, is what drew me to Zenduty in the first place.
Work-Life Balance
Zenduty isn't all work and no play! We enjoy "Gaming Fridays" with cricket matches on grassy turf and have badminton games throughout the week.
This creates a fun workplace environment where employees can unwind and enjoy leisure activities.
By the end of my internship, I had helped design the native application and the website's resources page. This experience has left me eager to learn more about design.
Join Us at Zenduty!
If you enjoyed reading his experience and want to join our Zen Crew, check out the open positions at Zenduty! Follow us on all social media platforms for some fun and interesting content.
