Industrial Design Intern

Primary Function of Position

Industrial Designers at Intuitive help design next-generation products and solutions for robotic surgery systems and refine and evolve existing product lines. We are user-centered and hands-on, helping to translate insights into actionable design opportunities and successful user experiences.

As a natural collaborator, the Industrial design intern will work with our process partners (engineering, clinical development, human factors, user research, and marketing) on the framing and definition of future product opportunities. Focusing on the user experience aspects of the product, you will employ a growing understanding of user needs, ergonomics, form, proportion, color, materials, and manufacturing processes to resolve complex technical challenges into elegant solutions. With an ability to explore, prototype and test a wide range of new ideas, the industrial designer visualizes opportunities to help build consensus on the right path forward. The industrial designer design is a skilled storyteller and crafts compelling presentations illustrating new user benefits and opportunities for Intuitive.

Essential Job Duties

The industrial designer intern contributes to the definition and design of new products at Intuitive. Working with senior designers and partners, the industrial designer creates innovative human-centered design solutions that will improve user experience.

• Learns and employs a user-centered design process to help frame problems and define opportunities.

• Collaborates with other Product Design team members to contribute to the design of compelling, integrated user experiences.

• Utilizes a range of creative 2D and 3D tools and techniques to develop design proposals.

• With support from senior team members, distills strategic, technical and ergonomic requirements while developing a range of solutions that synthesize usability, utility, manufacturability, and desirability.

• Works with product development and engineering partners and fellow designers early in the product development lifecycle to generate conceptual product designs and opportunities

• Combines industrial design objectives with the objectives of our process partners.

• Translates and captures brand attributes in compelling physical forms.

• Generates functional and/or appearance prototypes to explore and validate design choices conceptually.

• Participates in user research, usability testing, and clinical research labs

• Delivers design proposals to engineering for production and executes with support from senior ID team members.

Required Skills and Experience

University Hiring Program Eligibility Requirements:

• University Enrollment: Must be currently enrolled in and returning to an accredited degree-seeking academic program after the internship.

• Internship Work Period: Must be available to work full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) during a 10-12 week period starting May or June. Specific start dates are shared during the recruiting process.

Required Education and Training

• Current enrollment in a industrial design/product design related degree-seeking program at the Bachelor’s or Master’s level.

• Has a passion for designing meaningful, revolutionary products that make a positive impact on people’s lives

• Is curious about user behaviors and has an eagerness to learn in a lab environment

• Is excited to work on difficult problems with a dedicated team of high-energy, high-caliber people

• Has a natural aptitude for teamwork, thriving on brainstorming and presenting

• Has experience supporting or driving projects from concept to production

• Is a highly creative problem solver

• Is eager to learn from other designers and contribute to the culture of the team

• Seeks guidance and information but can also work and solve problems independently

• Takes a bias toward action and an eagerness to support the team and the project

• Employs healthy organization and communication habits, making you a responsive team player

• Has solid aesthetic sensibility and artistic skill

• Has an incurable curiosity relating to all things design

• Has experience collaborating with engineering or business counterparts through educational or internship experiences

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong storytelling and presentation skills and an ability to effectively communicate a user-centered point of view

• An exceptional portfolio that demonstrates human-centered design process and core industrial design skills

• Effective rapid prototyping skills, including quick low-fi foam models to fabricating more complex functional prototypes and 3D prints

• Solid and growing 2D visualization skills, including sketching, storyboarding, and digital rendering

• Solid 3D CAD and visualization skills to develop detailed and compelling design solutions

• Experience with SolidWorks is preferred

• A basic understanding of materials, manufacturing processes

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees
who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s
start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay (paid at an hourly rate), benefits, and a housing allowance. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills and experience for this internship, degree-seeking academic program (PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc), year in school, and location. The hourly rate is prorated against the intern program salaries listed and total program compensation will be based on internship duration.