Summer 2023 - Daewoo Internship

Role

Product Strategy Research Intern

Time Line

13 weeks

Team

Product Strategy Team

Process

Competitive Analysis, Research Study

In the summer of 2020, I completed a three-month internship as a product research intern at Daewoo, a South Korean company. Daewoo primarily sells compressor parts to other companies, but to overcome declining performance, they aimed to launch new strategic products.

In the product strategy team, I focused on UX research. My tasks included comprehensive market research, consumer trend analysis, and comparative analysis of potential product candidates. From this analysis, I hypothesized that there was a need for portable air conditioners and heaters for activities like car camping, outdoor trips, and use in rooms without air conditioning.

To verify this hypothesis, I conducted user surveys and interviews, which confirmed the demand for portable air conditioners and heaters. Based on these findings, I contributed to research that would improve the design and user experience of their products.

As a result the team’s efforts, Daewoo saw a significant increase in sales revenue and operating profit, reversing their financial decline. This internship experience highlighted the importance of UX research and design, teaching me how to accurately identify user needs and enhance products accordingly. It was an invaluable opportunity to develop my skills in understanding and applying user-centered design principles.

Summary

  • Collaborated with a product development team, gaining hands-on experience in cross-functional teamwork.

  • Conducted thorough market research and consumer trend analysis to identify and evaluate promising product candidates.

  • Hypothesized the need for portable air conditioners and heaters for car camping, outdoor trips, and rooms without air conditioning, and validated this through user surveys and interviews.

  • Achieved significant increases in sales revenue and operating profit for Daewoo through the successful launch of new products.

  • Enhanced skills in market research, user surveys, and interviews, while reinforcing principles of user-centered design.

  • Accurately identified and addressed user needs, leading to enhanced product usability and overall user experience.

  • Learned to apply core principles of UX research and design in practice, effectively linking them to tangible business outcomes.

What I learned