A blog by Lilymae Prescott about her one-week work experience.
During my week-long work experience with Lagom, I gained valuable insights into some of the day-to-day responsibilities of being a user researcher.
I am still at university, and like many university students, I’ve never had a full-time job.
And to get a job, you need to have an understanding of the kind of work you will be doing, and more importantly, the confidence that you will be able to do that job well.
Getting the opportunity to explore that with Lagom has really helped me to have a clearer vision of what I want to do, and what I am capable of doing, in the future.
I was firstly introduced to my mentor for the week, Charlotte, who welcomed me in with (virtual) open arms. We had a couple of catch-up calls every day, which made me feel very involved despite the work experience being remote, and she was happy to answer all the questions I had, no matter how stupid they may have sounded!
Having this support really helped me get the most out of the experience.
After learning more about the Lagom process, I was able to put this process into action through completing some tasks which were aligned with their usual discovery protocol, such as thematic analysis and persona creation.
Although this was a very condensed version of the overall process, getting a flavour of a user researcher’s key tasks and responsibilities provided a practical understanding of what it’s like to be in their shoes.
I also had the opportunity to learn about the role of other areas within the business, such as digital strategy and delivery management.
This really opened my eyes to how each piece of the puzzle fits together in order to work effectively as a team and meet client expectations.
On reflection, I have definitely grown in confidence as a result of this experience, not only building on my industry knowledge but also with my skills and what I can bring to a user researcher role in the future.
It has also sparked my interest in working in the public sector after my degree which is something I would not have considered otherwise.
Thanks again to the Lagom team for a great week!
