User Experience and Interface Design Intern - JobID-0285

Innovative Defense Technologies; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

10-12 week internship program

Mentoring

Training

Team events

Competitive pay

Job summary

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is seeking a User Experience and Interface Design Intern to join the Integrated Mission Systems team in Arlington, VA. This on-site internship builds design deliverables, iterates on systems, and communicates use cases to stakeholders for rapid development.

The role emphasizes Human Centered Design thinking, curiosity, empathy, and creativity, with collaboration across agile teams and direct mentorship. Hybrid/onsite expectations apply for 2–3 days in office.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or graduate student in HCI, Interaction Design, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience with digital design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite; familiarity with Figma/Sketch, Miro/Mural is a plus.
• Studied human-centered design thinking with knowledge of heuristics and design patterns.
• Experience or understanding of HTML and CSS or building interactive deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to and augments design system components and patterns; documents use cases for future reuse.
• Updates Figma designs based on stakeholder feedback and discovery.
• Annotates Figma files with specs to ensure context for stakeholders and SMEs.
• Collaborates on solutions to How Might We statements; gathers data to support recommended solutions.
• Revises prototypes after design adjustments.
• Creates IDT-branded illustrations, pictograms, and icons as needed.
• Uses appropriate tools to conduct analyses and deliverables; participates in reviews.
• Seeks input when assessing implications; clarifies connections when unclear.
• Imbues iterative design within agile development and welcomes feedback.
• Prioritizes goals based on user needs and advocates for users when needed.
• Learns from successes and setbacks to improve future designs.

Skills

HCI/ID study

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma/Sketch

HTML/CSS basics

Education

HCI/Interaction Design education

Tools

Miro/Mural

Job description

About The Role:

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense technology company, is seeking a User Experience and Interface Design Intern to be part of our Integrated Mission Systems team and based out of our Arlington, VA location.

The User Experience and Interface Design Intern will support efforts to refine design specs, iterate on design systems, and build deliverables to communicate the use cases of our products' design to stakeholders and team members for rapid development. Human Centered Design Thinking, curiosity, empathy, creativity, and design skills will be required to successfully deliver innovative solutions in this dynamic customer space.

Clearance & Location Requirements:

• All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.
• This is an on-site position. Requiring at least 2-3 days in office, based out of our Arlington, VA location.

Key Responsibilities

• Contributes to and augments design system components and design patterns. Documents use cases of components and patterns for consistent future use.
• Updates Figma designs based on stakeholder feedback and discovery.
• Annotates Figma design files with specs to ensure context if provided to stakeholders and SMEs.
• Collaborates on solutions to "How Might We" statements and identifies best practices to leverage. Builds and delivers solutions that meet users' expectations. Gathers data to support recommended solutions and engages appropriate stakeholders before taking action to minimize potential risk.
• Revises prototypes after adjustments to design screens have occurred.
• Creates IDT branded illustrations, pictograms, and iconography as needed.
• Selects and uses the appropriate tools or systems to conduct analyses and build deliverables. Participates in design and delivery reviews to align solutions with mission objectives.
• Seeks input from others when assessing strategic implications. Seeks clarification when connections or implications are unclear.
• Imbues the iterative design process within the agile development cycle and receives feedback and considerations openly.
• Prioritizes goals based on users' needs and expectations and achieves expected (agreed upon) results against the users' needs. Advocates for users' needs when ambiguity persists in discovery and design sessions, and demonstrates an understanding of users' needs.
• Learns from successes and setbacks and applies those lessons in the future designs.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or post-graduate degree program with a major or minor in HCI, Interaction Design, Fine, Visual, or Media Arts, Graphic Design or relevant related field of study, or equivalent full-time professional experience with (at minimum in-progress or on-going) coursework (such as NNG), certification, or accredited bootcamp program.
• Experience with digital design tools such as (but not limited to) Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Animate, XD). Bonus tools: Figma or Sketch, Miro or Mural.
• Completed coursework, has experience with, or studied human design thinking, and/or has knowledge of Heuristics and Design Patterns.
• Experience with or an understanding of HTML and CSS or developing interactive digital products or deliverables.

What Makes You Stand Out

• Initiative, creativity, reliability, teamwork, and collaboration.
• Portfolio of design or development work; bonus if the work supports interactive products.
• Demonstrations of the Design Thinking process in your work history and coursework. Bonus if candidate is familiar with interaction design, affinity or empathy mapping exercises, or workflow diagrams.
• Can speak to empathy and advocacy in their work examples. Can identify how they derived solutions based on external data.
• Willingness to learn and curiosity about how to best support team members in their work.
• Nice to have: Already has experience with UI tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.
• Nice to have: Experience or knowledge of Agile methodologies, especially Lean.
• Can identify and is familiar with UX/I publications and resources the industry utilizes.

Pay Range*: $28 - $34 / Hour

This amount may not be reflective of actual compensation that may be earned as pay is dependent on a candidate's experience, skills, and education. The posted range does not include bonuses, commissions, tips, or other benefits. IDT is often looking to place multiple candidates at various levels. Therefore, more than one pay range has been included, commensurate with experience.

IDT's Summer Internship Program

• A 10-12-week program; up to 40 hours per week
• Competitive pay
• Individual mentoring
• Valuable training
• A supportive culture
• Social events and team building activities

EEO Statement

IDT is an Equal Opportunity employer.

About Innovative Defense Technologies

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is a leading defense technology company focused on rapidly delivering mission-critical software and systems solutions to the U.S. government. The company specializes in automation, digital engineering, and enabling the rapid integration of advanced capabilities into complex weapon and combat systems. These essential solutions empower the warfighter to field, operate, and sustain decisive capability at speed and scale.

At IDT, our employees are developing advanced mission-critical outcomes by consistently delivering high-quality results, fostering innovation, applying rigorous problem-solving, and effectively collaborating across multifaceted teams and stakeholders. Grounded in these competencies, IDT translates complex customer priorities into robust software solutions.

Job Details

Employment Type: Internship

Location: Arlington, VA (4401 Wilson Boulevard Suite 810, Arlington, Virginia, 22203). Hybrid workplace; requires at least 2-3 days on site.

Compensation: $28.00 - $34.00 / hour