Sam Ebner joined Newsadoo for a mandatory internship in UI/UX. And decided to stay. An interview about his love for design (and colourful motif socks).
You applied for an internship at Newsadoo on your own initiative. How did you come across us and what encouraged you to apply?
I first heard about Newsadoo in a lecture with David at the FH in Hagenberg. He asked us to analyse the company. During research, I got more involved with the ideas and the values, and I immediately found it appealing. I thought to myself: that's where I want to go. The mandatory internship in my studies was the perfect setting for this. I applied to over 30 companies and received an offer from five of them. But only Newsadoo really came into question.
Which task has been the most fun for you at Newsadoo so far? Is there anything you've had a hard time with?
What I like most is how varied the tasks are. I get bored relatively quickly with unvaried activities and my enthusiasm decreases, but since I work in UI/UX for web and app, as well as design in general, there's always something different to do. That's also the 'hardest' thing: to keep the overview. Especially in the beginning I was unfamiliar with a few new terms, then different processes coming with new people , and to see through everything right away, what is what, and where what has to be done.
From cooking to sewing clothes, your hobbies include a lot of creative things. Where do you get your inspiration from?
For cooking it's usually hunger and appetite, for baking it's pictures on Pinterest or stories from friends who discovered something fancy in a pastry shop, and for sewing it's spite. I see garments that I theorethically like, and then something doesn't fit: the price, a strangely placed pocket, or some weird decorative element. And then I always think to myself: I can do that too. It usually takes longer, and the materials cost more, but I like it, it's individual, and I was occupied for a bit.
What do your unusual taste in socks and your style in UI/UX design have in common?
Variety. Colorful, not too dull, and a bit playful. That's something I want to keep up: not becoming boring or monotonous. I don't want to live in default mode with the pre-set standard settings.
If you were designing a website about yourself – what would it look like?
Probably with a few elements that would probably not be seen in good UI/UX design. Structured chaos, lots of individual elements, music in the background, some movement, maybe even a mini-game with something to explore. The website would also never be finished and would constantly change. It would be kind of monotonous if there was nothing new to say about me.
Want to see what Sam is working on? You can download the app here for free: