1 Opening
- Ames
**Role description**:
**Academic Intern**
**Who We Are**:
Born digital, UST transforms lives through the power of technology. We walk alongside our clients and partners, embedding innovation and agility into everything they do. We help them create transformative experiences and human-centered solutions for a better world.
UST is a mission-driven group of 29,000+ practical problem solvers and creative thinkers in more than 30 countries. Our entrepreneurial teams are empowered to innovate, act nimbly, and create a lasting and sustainable impact for our clients, their customers, and the communities in which we live.
With us, you’ll create a boundless impact that transforms your career—and the lives of people across the world.
**You Are**:
A designer skilled across multiple facets of the design process—including interaction and visual design with understanding of research and strategy. Support product design from end to end—starting with understanding user contexts, framing problem spaces, sketching and wireframing ideas, validating through prototyping and testing, and finally crafting polished visual outputs that align with brand and accessibility standards.
**The opportunity**:
- Conduct and support generative and evaluative user research
- Create personas, user journeys, and service blueprints
- Develop wireframes, interaction flows, and clickable prototypes
- Design high-fidelity UI aligned with brand guidelines and design systems
- Synthesize research insights into actionable recommendations
- Present design concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and other designers to align vision and execution
This position description identifies the responsibilities and tasks typically associated with the performance of the position. Other relevant essential functions may be required.
**What you**need**:
- UX research methods (interviews, usability testing, contextual inquiry)
- UX design (wireframing, IA, interaction design)
- Visual/UI design (layout, color, typography, accessibility)
- Tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Notion, FigJam, and emerging AI tools
- Communication—storytelling, design rationale, and documentation
- Systems thinking and adaptability in cross-functional teams
Compensation can differ depending on factors including but not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, education, and level of experience. UST provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired in various U.S. markets as set forth below.
**Role Location**:**Remote**
**Compensation Range**: $20-$24
**Benefits**
Full-time, regular employees accrue a minimum of 10 days of paid vacation per year, receive 6 days of paid sick leave each year (pro-rated for new hires throughout the year), 10 paid holidays, and are eligible for paid bereavement leave and jury duty. They are eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer matching. They and their dependents residing in the US are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as the following Company-paid Employee Only benefits: basic life insurance, accidental death and disability insurance, and short
- and long-term disability benefits. Regular employees may purchase additional voluntary short-term disability benefits, and participate in a Health Savings Account (HSA) as well as a Adaptable Spending Account (FSA) for healthcare, dependent child care, and/or commuting expenses as allowable under IRS guidelines. Benefits offerings vary in Puerto Rico.
Part-time employees receive 6 days of paid sick leave each year (pro-rated for new hires throughout the year) and are eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer matching.
Full-time temporary employees receive 6 days of paid sick leave each year (pro-rated for new hires throughout the year) and are eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) program with employer matching. They and their dependents residing in the US are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Part-time temporary employees receive 6 days of paid sick leave each year (pro-rated for new hires throughout the year).
All US employees who work in a state or locality with more generous paid sick leave benefits than specified here will receive the benefit of those sick leave laws.
**What we believe**:
We proudly embrace the values that have shaped UST since day one. We build our culture of Humility, Humanity, and Integrity. These values inspire us to nurture a people-first, human centric culture that fosters belonging, prioritizes sustainable solutions, and keeps our people and clients at the forefront of all decisions.
**Humility**:
We will listen, learn, be empathetic and help selflessly in our interactions with everyone.
**Humanity**:
Through business, we will better the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
**Integrity**:
We honor our co