InMotion is a student team currently working on a super-fast charging car battery to assist the energy transition in the automotive industry. They have a innovative approach that focuses on the development of a advanced battery cooling system. Ultimately they want to showcase the performance of their technology by participating in professional endurance racing.

During my internship at InMotion, I used design research to improve the student team’s target audience engagement. Through the deployment of cultural probes and persona development, I investigated how stakeholders perceive the values of the student team. Using this, I determined opportunities for improvement and designed a interactive system that playfully explains the difficulties and importance of fast charging battery development.

I also took on the role of marketing lead, through which I obtained more responsibilities within the team and gained deeper insights into business and company culture. Throughout the internship, I focused on contributing my personal value to a large multidisciplinary team by taking initiative and involve myself in milestone events. I learned to deal with dynamic constraints and changing conditions caused by the multidisciplinary nature of the team. This strengthened my skills in collaborative environments.

I also put a emphasis on sustainability, aiming to learn about reducing environmental impact. I researched principles of circular design, like material choices and reversible construction, and applied these to my final prototype.

Overall, this internship helped me grow as a designer by deploying and developing entrepreneurial skills in practice. I deepened my understanding of audience engagement, and learned about sustainable and socially relevant design.