INTERNSHIP @CROWDPARTY
Designing mobile experiences and testing new product features that bring joy.
Role
Product Design Intern
Location
Toronto, Remote
Timeframe
May-Aug 2021
TLDR
Throughout my summer internship, I gained hands-on experience, conducting user testing, facilitating design sprints, and presenting my designs.
This opportunity to work in a fast-paced, start-up environment, I learned to wear many hats and fulfill numerous parallel tasks while working closely with a team of developers.
60+
Screen designed and tested
3
New games designed and tested
Too many
Tiktoks made, explaining what our product does ;) Try it out here
INTRODUCTION
Exploring, discovering and pivoting; finding a passion for design through my internship.
I interned at CrowdParty, a Toronto-based web app startup, in summer 2021. Collaborating with a small team—including another marketing intern, three developers, and the founder/product manager—I took on diverse roles across two design initiatives, multiple product development explorations, and various marketing projects.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Here are a few things I loved working on while working at CrowdParty
Mobile first waiting room (Shipped)
When I joined CrowdParty in 2021, the platform was designed for Zoom meetings and large events, requiring a shared or central screen for players to join via room code or QR scan. The newly designed mobile-first waiting room eliminates this need by displaying the QR code and room code on each player’s device, enabling seamless access without a host screen.
2025 current screens reflecting designed layouts
Ice breaker (Shipped)
Designed and tested game features for the waiting room.
Start off any session with random ice breaking questions
Mobile experience (Exploratory)
This exploratory project aided in the design of the mobile-first game experience. I explored different ways CrowdParty games could be experienced without a central host screen (pre-existing experience) and presented my designs to the team.
Learnings and Takeaways
As a design and business student, working on a real product for the first time, I learned to prioritize intentional, research-backed decisions, and how to advocate for user-centric design. Discovering that I could directly impact the user's experience as well as make business impacts was a valuable experience.
At CrowdParty, I explored various design choices but quickly realized that in a startup, speed matters—trade-offs and prioritization are essential to keep moving forward. I learned that perfection isn’t the goal; growth, improvement, and timely decisions drive real progress.
