Final reflection

I spent roughly five months (8th June to 23rd October 2026) as a design research intern with the Lapis (a recipient of the DesignSingapore Council) team at Kontinentalist, a data storytelling company. Overall, the internship was both demanding and rewarding. I joined not knowing what was expected of me all while expecting it to be the typical role of doing the ‘saikang’ stuff. Yet, it turned out to be quite a unique experience. I got to experienced what it was like to be a digital nomad, having to manage my own time heavily together with the expectations that I have of myself, to bring the best I could for the company. This experience have also changed how I see my role, from someone who was afraid of making the wrong decisions, thinking that I was just an intern, to someone who is confident enough to propose decisions and ideas to the team.

The internship contributed my growth in many ways. In terms of technical aspects, I now understand how to work inside a live design system, how to test with assistive technology, and how accessibility shapes design decisions. Professionally, I have learned to manage and structure my own work, make decisions when information is missing, and present before I feel ready. Personally, colleagues described me as reliable and willing to take on unfamiliar work, which pushes me to have confidence and to step outside my comfort zone is a strength worth building on. Although I did wish that I could have had more in-person collaboration, this internship actually made me value that more. I think my biggest growth here would be my confidence for the work that I have done.