Akemi Ueno is a 19-year-old product design student at a university in Brazil. She feels the design program emphasizes technical skills over creativity. She wishes there was better connection between companies and students to help understand the profession and find internships. Currently, companies post opportunities on a bulletin board and students rely on word-of-mouth from peers with industry contacts to learn about openings. Akemi believes enhancing connections between companies and students could make it easier to get internships and jobs.

1. ASSIGNMENT// Empathize and Define
Marcelo Bohrer

2. INTERVIEWED
Akemi Ueno , 19 yr
Brazilian
Product Design student at
Federal University of Rio
Grande do Sul - UFRGS
5° semester

3. SAY
2. The Design course at UFRGS is originated on the engineering and
architecture courses and so it gives excessive emphasis on exact
calculations, physics and mechanics not developing creative ability.
6. She wished there was more connection between companies and
the university so that students could better understand how the
profession works on a day-to-day and then they could be near the
channels work and internship opportunities.
1. She sees negatively the fact that the course is divided
into product design and visual design. Because of this the
students does not have a global view of the profession.
3. Companies that want to offer work opportunities have to use a wall board in
the lobby of the college. There isn't an online system for registration and
availability of vacancies.
4. Students have a group on facebook to disclose with each other internship
opportunities and jobs.
5. The main way to get an internship or job interview is through word of
mouth among students and by students who have contacts in the market.

4. FEEL
• In her speech she demonstrates do not feel
concern about the future difficulties of getting a
good internship or job.
• She does not feel fear or uncertainty about
the process of getting a job vacancy.
She feels confident.

5. THINK
• She thinks that just the willingness to
want to learn will be enough to consider it a
good candidate.
• She thinks it is important to have good
contacts and that a good indication is the
main factor to get a job vacancy.

6. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Akemi, a designer student of a federal
university which is dedicated, creative, well
related and watchful to the market, needs a
way to enhance the channel that connect the
companies with the students because it
gonna make easier to get a good
internship or a job.

7. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Akemi, a designer student of a federal
university which is dedicated, creative, well
related and watchful to the market, needs a
way to enhance the channel that connect the
companies with the students because it
gonna make easier to get a good
internship or a job.