Meet the team: Q&A with James
Published: July 2023
Meet James Paulson, a Design for Industry student, who is currently completing a summer internship with us at Shore.
As he is well past the halfway mark, we thought it would be a great opportunity to hear about his experience so far.
Tell us about your university course and why you pursued a summer internship
Studying Design for Industry (Product Design) at Northumbria University has helped me to find my passion for design, problem-solving, and the creative industries. Studying the course, I am lucky enough to be able to participate in lots of live projects with real clients. Being able to do this is what made me want to apply for a summer internship and get a greater look at designing in the real world.
I was excited to be given the opportunity to gain experience at Shore as you have a wide array of clients and have a lot of experience developing industry-leading products. Getting the opportunity to explore medical design and seeing what it is like to design in a consultancy environment was something I was looking forward to. Joining Shore, I was excited to learn how you use innovation and creativity to solve important issues and overcome medical design challenges.
What projects have you been involved in (if you can talk about them)?
I am currently working on a patient controlled drug delivery system and I have been lucky enough to join this project in the development stage. Working on this project my focus was looking into user experiences and interactions with the product and finding new ways to improve this. Working on this project has pushed me to think of new and creative ways of solving the user challenges and learn how to work around limitations you may face.
Also being able to get involved with testing and human factor studies has been valuable in allowing me to see how users interpret your designs and receive feedback on your solutions. I am really looking forward to seeing how this project turns out and seeing how the results change and positively impact the users experience with the product.
Observing and taking notes during an internal human factor study
What does your usual day look like?
My mornings usually start with walking to work with a nice walk past the Scottish parliament and Holyrood Palace on my way into the office, which is a pleasant way to prepare for the day ahead. Once I get to the office, I don’t really have a set schedule as no two days are the same, I enjoy the excitement of constantly working on different projects and tasks as I enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. After work I typically go to the gym or go climbing to unwind and spend the rest of the evening exploring Edinburgh.
‘Day in the life’ video of James
You moved to Edinburgh for the spring/summer – what’s this experience been like?
Moving to Edinburgh has been a great experience, it’s a very historic city and I have really enjoyed being able to go round and explore the city and sights. Also, on weekends being able to explore Scotland’s countryside and national parks surrounding Edinburgh is a great way to explore outside of the city centre. Additionally, I am really looking forward to being able to experience the fringe festival and see the city transformed into a celebration of arts and culture.
What’s been your favourite part of the internship so far?
So far, my favorite part of the internship is having the opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of projects and clients. This has allowed me to gain a broad insight into the different challenges a client may face and learn how to best approach each project and problem. Being exposed to a wide variety of projects has been very exciting and allowed me to explore lots of different areas of medical design from packaging design to industrial design and other areas such as human factor studies and design for manufacture.
From doing this I feel like my design knowledge is greatly increasing and I am looking forward to working more with the team and learning from their experiences and expertise.
What else are you aiming to achieve before you complete the internship at the end of August?
Before the internship is over, I hope to have learnt a wide range of new skills and experiences, which I will hopefully be able to use in my future career and final year of university. Working at Shore has reassured me that I would love to pursue a career in design and look forward to working in the creative sector once I finish my degree.
Meeting new people, receiving feedback on work and ways to improve is one thing that has been incredibly useful throughout the internship as receiving constructive criticism and feedback helps you to find your strengths and understand what areas you can improve on in your creative process.
Presenting an update on projects at the company update session
What’s next for you? What are you career goals?
After this experience I am keen to keep developing my knowledge and skills to become a better designer. Going back into my final year of university after this experience, I feel much more confident in my abilities and believe I have gained valuable experience and knowledge which will help me with my university projects and my future career.
From taking part in this internship, I can’t wait to begin a career in the creative industry and am looking forward to using my passion for problem solving to begin my journey into a career in design.
More about James, rapid fire questions…
Favourite food: Chinese Hotpot
Favourite movie: Back to the future
Favourite sport: Golf
Favourite computer game: Mario Kart
If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be: Tokyo
If you’re a student looking for a similar opportunity, then we’d love to hear from you. Take a look at our careers page for more information.
