12 May 2022

Digital agency internships

We're pleased to announce that our summer internship programme has re-opened after a 2 year Covid induced hiatus.

We're committed to helping the next generation of digital superstars get a foothold in the industry so if you're thinking of applying please check out our careers page to see what's on offer.

We interviewed super-talented design student Léna Paleczny about her experience of moving over from l'Ecole de Design in France to join our Creative Team in London for her placement back in 2019, in a pre-Covid world.

We're looking forward to welcoming the next generation of digital superstars in 2022!

What made you want to work with us?

Since I only had work experience in a really small design agency in Nantes, I wanted to take advantage of this new 4-month internship to discover how a larger award winning agency works. It was also a way to work with a full team, from Project Managers to Developers.

I got really enthusiastic looking at Catch clients: Bodyshop, SES, Vistaprint. But what really made me want to send my resume was to see that they were carrying their own projects driven by the willing to design intuitive and user-friendly services.

What also made me want to work with Catch is the fun atmosphere. One of the biggest clichés about British people is their awful sense of humor. Then I discovered the Game of Thrones chatbot and I felt relieved: Catch took time to design a pop culture based service and even made it funny and useful.

What did you work on?

During those 4 months, I had the chance to work on a new SaaS product, including UI, UX and data visualization. I also worked for the world-leading satellite operator SES, re-designing a 3D platform to discover the coverage of SES satellites.

I was also trusted to add my creative touch to other projects like Bodyshop, Vistaprint, University of Salford.

What did you learn?

Because of the great diversity of projects I have worked on, I improved a lot of different skills like UI, a lot of UX, but also data visualization, interaction design, animations etc. The Catch team gave me the opportunity to present my work directly to clients, teaching me useful tips on how to go showcase my work.

As a French native, I also learned a lot about British culture and British daily expressions, we even created a collection of professional lingo.

What was it like being in the studio?

The team always makes your work days funnier, without giving up on efficiency. Friday catch ups are the best: you discover what everyone has been working on during the week, with some Prosecco and vinegar crisps.

What was the highlight?

The Christmas party of course! The Catch team never miss an opportunity to enjoy great food and handmade cocktails.

What’s next?

My year is going to be busy: I will continue my Master's degree working on Tangible Interfaces at l'Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique. After my studies, I am willing to begin my career as a UI/UX designer and work with teams as great and open-minded as Catch!

Related news and work

Econsultancy Top 100 Agency

20 Oct 2017

We’re proud to announce that we feature in Econsultancy’s Top 100 Digital Agencies Report

Digital agency London HQ

31 Jan 2019

The plans have been drawn, the contractors have been chosen, and the construction of our dream studio has started

Women in digital

18 Mar 2018

On International Women’s Day we took some time out to discuss what it means to be #WomenInDigital

06 Aug 2021

Helping new students get off to the best possible start

With this year’s A-level results announcement comes a new wave of students embarking upon their university careers. Whilst this is unquestionably a time of excitement and possibility, it can also be pretty daunting. For many, it will be their first time living away from home, and could well mean a move to a new city, or even country. It was this consideration that underpinned a recent brief from a client of ours, a Student Accommodation provider who was looking to fully streamline their new resident onboarding program, in order to make the lead up to move-in-day as simple and supportive as possible.

The Brief

Taking the period of time between booking and arrival, there was a need to tackle the information overload faced by their new customers. During this crucial introduction to life at their new student home, bookers were receiving an overwhelming array of communications across different channels before they arrived at their residence. We worked with our client to devise a digital pre-arrivals program that would:

Support residents in the completion of follow-up admin tasks relating to their booking
Encourage new-bookers to download the free residents’ app so that they can start benefiting from it’s features immediately
Provide clear communication in the lead up to arrival day
Reduce the number of pre-arrival enquiries
Make arrival day check-in as quick and seamless as possible
Ultimately, make each new resident feel part of the family, even before they physically arrive on site

Our Approach

Our first task was to deconstruct the pre-arrivals journey, clearly mapping all tasks that need to be completed and all of the information that ‘must’, ‘should’ and ‘could’ be communicated to new recruits. To do this, we brought together key team members’ across the business’s marketing, digital and resident liaison teams and worked together to build a clear picture of the current process and our shared ambition for the new, improved experience.

From here we were able to embark upon the solution design phase. Simplicity was key to our approach which looked to streamline the wealth of onboarding communications into a single source via the resident app and distributing only when relevant. The ultimate solution we were able to deliver included:

A program of timely push notifications direct to a users, prompting them to complete tasks or discover helpful information
The addition of a progress gate within the app that provides users with a visual representation of how close they are to completing their onboarding
A digital Tenancy Agreement with downloadable mobile copy
An interface that houses the full suite of Read and Sign steps in one handy place
Access to a QR code via the app that enables residents who have completed all onboarding steps to check-in by simply scanning their code upon arrival at their residence

Using clever tech, and well-timed comms, we were able to support students in getting off to the best possible start

Our ultimate ambition over the course of this project was to give residents the best start to their year as possible. At the heart of this lies student well-being, and ensuring that each new booker feels supported from the moment they confirm their purchase. We hope that this digital pre-arrivals program reduces confusion and creates a more manageable onboarding experience for every new booker this year!

Making our experience work for you

We have a huge range of experience in the PBSA + Education sector through our work with IQ Students, GSA, Scape, University of Salford and more. We're experienced in designing and building platforms that can make life better for your customers.

If you're interested in working with us to devise smart strategies that will improve your connection with your audience, don't hesitate to get in touch.