Product Design Intern

Pocket Prep is looking for a Product Design Intern! We’re an edtech company that helps hundreds of thousands of people reach their career goals every day.

Pocket Prep's design team is looking for a self-starter who is comfortable working independently, collaborating closely with others, and a prolific asker of questions. We’ll look for a strong eye for visual quality, user-centered design, and detail in your portfolio.

Our ideal candidate can commit to 16-24 hours a week between August and December 2026. One of those days per week must be in person at our office in Durham's American Tobacco Campus.

About Pocket Prep

Pocket Prep creates study apps (iOS, Android, and web) to help people across a range of industries study for professional certifications and reach their career goals. Professional certification exams are often a stressful and expensive barrier to career advancement. We strive to prepare our users to pass their exams with confidence.

Details about the Role

As a Product Design Intern you will work closely with our design team and larger product team of product managers and developers. You will assist with feature development, Figma library maintenance, accessibility work, and other design projects. We will consider you part of the team and will invest in your growth as a designer and professional. Our goal is for you to leave the internship with at least one real-world, outcome driven portfolio case study and robust experience working on a product team.

What we offer

• $35/hour for your time and talents (plus office snacks and a free weekly team lunch)

• Ownership of a part of Pocket Prep’s design deliverables; anything you produce for us can be used in your portfolio. Our ultimate goal is to support your career growth as a designer

• Training/mentorship in design thinking and industry best practices

• Small team environment where your work will be regularly and rigorously critiqued by professionals

• Experience working with Product Designers, Product Managers, Developers, and other departments

• Hybrid set up where you’ll work in an office (Durham) and remotely

• Technical experience with the nitty gritty of the product development process: communicating with stakeholders, working within a design system (Figma), integrating user needs with business needs, and working with developers to implement designs

• Work that is a net positive on society - we help hundreds of thousands of people elevate their skill sets and reach their career goals

Please note: this is a part-time internship for 16-24 hours a week, lasting from August 2026 through December 2026.

Required Skills & Qualifications

The right candidate will be passionate about our mission and enjoy working within a small team.

• Has 1+ years product design experience in a university, bootcamp, or self-guided setting

  • Note: no formal university level experience required

• Comfortable with Figma

• Able to work 16-24 hours a week. Specific days can be set based on your schedule and preference

• Able to work from our Durham, NC office at least 1 day a week; WFH optional for remaining time.

Portfolio

Submission of a portfolio is mandatory for application. Portfolio should showcases skill with color, typography, systems thinking, user-centered design principles, and attention to detail.

Strong portfolios include:

• 2+ projects that you have independently driven, demonstrating personal initiative and project ownership. If you have group projects, please make it clear what YOU did on the project.

• Projects that clearly illustrate your design process (research, ideation, prototyping), problem-solving approach, and the resulting UI/UX outcomes

• Insights into how you approach problem definition and solution generation

• Information about who you are as a designer and person! We’re looking for curious, enthusiastic designers who are excited to learn in an edtech environment.

Soft skills

• Is able to work collaboratively and isn’t afraid to ask questions

• Is willing to work within an existing brand and library visual system

• Strong work ethic: able to manage multiple deliverables at a time and hit deadlines reliably

• Can take a prompt and iterate upon multiple options to present to the larger team for critique and improvement

• Engaged team member who asks thoughtful questions and is an active listener

If this sounds like you, please apply!