Apple — Accessibility and internal tooling
Product Designer in IS&T focusing on accessibility; login system, app bundle concepts, UX recommendations, prototyping and research.
Team make‑up: Group of designers situated in a heavy eng‑pm area of Apple; guidance from a manager but mostly me wrangling projects on my own with minimal guidance.
My first professional experience in UX was with Apple’s IS&T (Information Systems & Technology) UX group, focusing on internal software. I worked across multiple efforts, with a primary focus on Accessibility — a passion that continues to influence my design work today.
Apple’s design philosophy — meticulous attention to detail and a seamless user experience — stood out compared to later experiences at Microsoft, IBM, and Meta. I also joined a marketing team challenge around app bundles; our team ranked in the top three.
Wireframes
Early work centered on quick, direct asks that needed concepts. One was an iPad login concept that needed an MVP UI. I followed my typical pattern: connect with stakeholders, locate available resources (at the time PDF-based design language assets), iterate on variations and states (including motion examples), and partner with engineering early to ensure feasibility.
Accessibility
The internship’s main thrust became a deep focus on Accessibility in internal tooling. I audited existing software, leveled up on accessibility standards, and partnered with leads to recenter discussion around Universal Access — fixes that improve both edge cases and the in‑between states. This included prototypes to explore improved interactions and research with customers using assistive tech.
End results
A set of thorough documentation artifacts left with IS&T — immediate recommendations across tools, coded interaction examples for accessibility, guidance for designers moving forward, and a touch of blue‑sky (e.g., making the login experience more enjoyable).
Side contests
I also took part in two small concept projects (including app bundles) by interviewing across the company, finding missing interaction points, and producing visuals to sell the story. The ‘bushel’ concept presaged the App Store’s eventual App Bundle feature.