Student Dara Amos-Oluwole secures internship at Spotify with help from City mentor

Studying the MSc Human-Computer Interaction Design

After her bachelor’s, mentee Dara realised she wanted to work in tech and saw a clear link between psychology and her desired field of UX, which is why she applied to the MSc Human-Computer Interaction Design at City.

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is the field of study that looks at how software and technology is used by people – and good design is when a product is useable, effective, and makes people want to use it.

User experience (UX) is a subsection of HCI and encompasses the overall experience a person has when using a website, or an app. It asks questions like – does the web interface look appealing to the eye? Is it accessible for people with disabilities? Does it help the user achieve their goals in visiting the website or app?

UX draws heavily from the field of psychology and decision-making, applying the concepts into a business context.

“Human computer interaction (HCI) is about designing and creating useful experiences that meet the needs of its users,” Dara explains. “UX is at the interaction between people and tech – which is perfect for me!”

The master’s at City appealed to her because of how hands-on it is. She was also interested in making the most of City’s professional development opportunities – like the professional mentoring scheme.

Today, Dara is about to submit her dissertation and aspires to work in a UX role for a company that is making a positive change in the world.

Securing an internship at Spotify

Over the course of their mentoring relationship, mentor Dee helped mentee Dara put together a portfolio of work, get more comfortable networking, and practise her interview and presentation skills.

In this time, Dara successfully secured a three-month internship at Spotify, the leading music streaming platform, where she worked in a user research role.

When she heard her mentee had secured an internship at Spotify, mentor Dee was bursting with pride. “She absolutely deserves it,” she says. “Dara was fantastic. She was the dream mentee: she knew what she wanted and was committed to it.”

Now, she is finishing up her master’s and looking towards her next career steps, feeling ever more certain in her vision that she wants to work in UX.

Meeting Dee: the perfect mentor

Before working in tech, Dee earned a first degree in financial and business economics, spending over a decade in finance – at companies like Deutsche Bank, Barclays and KPMG.

She retrained during the pandemic, joining a UX bootcamp while freelancing as a UX designer on the side, and continuing to work in finance.

She credits the helpful advice of mentors and contacts – both loose and close – as helping her figure out her career path. Giving back was one of the reasons she decided to become a mentor at City.

City’s Professional Mentoring Scheme

Xenia Kotova is one of the Student Development Leaders running City’s Professional Mentoring Scheme and helped match Dee and Dara.

The students that take part in the scheme come from underrepresented backgrounds in higher education. Because of this, Xenia believes that meeting an industry professional can be an “eye-opening” and “life-changing” experience for them.

A lack of a professional network can be a barrier to students looking for job opportunities. This is particularly true for students who are typically underrepresented in higher education.

The students’ goals are varied: some sign up wanting help landing an internship or a full-time job, some are curious to learn about what companies and careers are out there that suit their interests and skills.

Xenia said:

“Having this experience gives students a head-start in a competitive graduate market,” Xenia says. “This programme gives students a chance to get insight into the working world.”

At the end of the academic year, City holds an award ceremony for the mentors and mentees. Dee was awarded the Professional Mentor of the Year 2023 award, with her mentee Dara being awarded the Breakthrough Mentee of the Year 2023 award.