UX/UI Industrial Design Co-op

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX/UI Industrial Design Co-op

Company: Baxter International Inc.

Location: Batesville, Indiana, United States

Job Type: Full-time (Internship)

Category: Industrial Design / UX/UI Design

Date Posted: July 27, 2026

Experience Level: Entry Level (0-2 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Support the end-to-end design and development of user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for innovative medical devices.

• Contribute to the creation of visual assets, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to effectively communicate design solutions.

• Collaborate within a cross-functional team environment alongside engineers, marketing, and research professionals.

• Apply human-centered design principles and usability best practices to translate user needs into intuitive and effective interface designs.

• Develop and present design concepts, visualizations, and documentation to stakeholders throughout the product development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically an internship (Co-op) focusing on UX/UI and Industrial Design within the medical device sector. The emphasis is on supporting existing teams and processes, rather than leading independent initiatives, aligning with an entry-level, developmental capacity.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• User Interface (UI) Design Support: Assist in the design and refinement of user interfaces for a range of Baxter's medical device products, ensuring a consistent and intuitive user experience.

• Visual Asset Creation: Develop and produce high-quality graphics, icons, illustrations, and other visual assets required for user interfaces and product labeling.

• Concept Visualization & Prototyping: Create wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes to clearly articulate design concepts and user flows for review and feedback.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product development, engineering, marketing, and market research teams to gather requirements, understand user needs, and integrate design solutions.

• Human-Centered Design Application: Apply principles of human-centered design, usability, and human-computer interaction (HCI) to translate complex user requirements and needs into actionable design specifications.

• Design Communication & Presentation: Prepare and deliver compelling presentation materials and design demonstrations to effectively communicate design solutions, rationale, and recommendations to internal teams and stakeholders.

• New Product & Enhancement Support: Participate in ideation and concept development activities for both new medical device products and improvements to existing product lines.

• Design Documentation: Contribute to the creation and maintenance of design documentation and deliverables required throughout the product development process, ensuring adherence to industry standards and company guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities are geared towards supporting senior designers and project teams, emphasizing learning and contribution within established product development frameworks. The scope includes both visual design execution and conceptualization support.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Industrial Design, Visual Communication (Graphic Design), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience (UX) Design, or a closely related design or technical field. Experience:

• Demonstrated experience through academic projects or internships in UI/UX design, industrial design, or graphic design.

• Ability to complete assigned tasks and projects with or without reasonable accommodations. Required Skills:

• Visual Design Tools: Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud applications, specifically Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, for creating and editing visual assets.

• Design Principles: Solid understanding of human-centered design, usability principles, and/or human-computer interaction (HCI) concepts.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Experience in creating visual design assets, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to communicate design ideas and user flows.

• Portfolio: A strong portfolio showcasing graphic design, UI/UX design, product design, or related project work, demonstrating design thinking and execution capabilities.

• Communication: Ability to articulate design concepts and rationale clearly and effectively.

• Collaboration: Aptitude for working effectively within a team environment and collaborating with diverse functional groups.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with other design or prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

• Familiarity with the medical device industry or regulated product development environments.

• Understanding of product labeling requirements and best practices.

• Experience in concept visualization for new product development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio is critical for this role, serving as the primary evidence of design capabilities. The requirements lean towards foundational design skills and tool proficiency rather than extensive professional experience.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• UI/UX Case Studies: Showcase detailed case studies of UI/UX design projects, illustrating the problem, design process, user research (if applicable), design solutions, and outcomes.

• Visual Design Examples: Include examples of graphic design work, icon design, illustration, and branding elements created for digital interfaces.

• Prototyping & Wireframing Samples: Present a range of wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes that demonstrate user flow and interface design thinking.

• Industrial Design Concepts (if applicable): If the candidate has industrial design projects, showcase concept sketches, 3D models, and renderings illustrating product form and function.

• Process Documentation: Briefly describe the design process followed for key projects, highlighting how user needs and business objectives were addressed.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Candidates should be prepared to discuss their approach to designing user workflows and how they ensure efficiency and intuitiveness.

• Usability Principles: Be ready to explain how usability principles were applied in past projects to improve user experience and task completion rates.

• Tool Proficiency: Demonstrate familiarity and practical application of design and prototyping tools within project work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an internship role, the portfolio is less about completed, launched products and more about demonstrating potential, design thinking, and fundamental skills through academic or personal projects. The focus is on the process and the candidate's ability to learn and apply design methodologies.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Hourly Pay Range: $21 - $25 USD per hour.

• This range is determined by factors such as relevant skills, experience, role duration, business unit, and geographic location. Benefits:

• Healthcare: Medical and dental coverage starting on day one.

• Insurance: Basic life insurance, accident insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance.

• Financial & Retirement: Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discount, 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) with company matching options.

• Savings Accounts: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for healthcare and dependent care.

• Professional Development: Educational assistance programs.

• Time Off: Paid holidays, paid time off (ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service), family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave.

• Additional Perks: Commuting benefits, Employee Discount Program, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time work week is 40 hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The stated salary range is an hourly rate, typical for co-op or internship positions. The benefits package is comprehensive for an intern, indicating Baxter's commitment to employee well-being even for temporary roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Medical Devices / Healthcare Technology

Company Size: Baxter International Inc. is a large, global organization with tens of thousands of employees worldwide. This scale implies a structured environment with established processes, significant resources, and opportunities for exposure to diverse projects.

Founded: 1931, indicating a long history of innovation and stability in the healthcare sector.

Team Structure:

• Global Design Team: The intern will join the Global Design team, which is part of the broader New Product Development function.

• Reporting Structure: Will likely report to a Design Manager or Senior Designer within the Batesville, Indiana location.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The team actively collaborates with New Product Development, Sustaining Engineering, Marketing, and Market Research departments. This interdisciplinary approach is crucial for medical device innovation.

Methodology:

• Human-Centered Design: The team emphasizes user-centered approaches to ensure medical devices are intuitive, safe, and effective for healthcare professionals and patients.

• Product Development Lifecycle: Design activities are integrated within a formal product development process, requiring adherence to documentation and regulatory standards.

• Data-Informed Decisions: Design choices are informed by user research, market analysis, and engineering constraints.

Company Website: https://www.baxter.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Baxter's long history and global presence suggest a robust, process-driven environment. The emphasis on saving and sustaining lives is a core cultural driver, influencing the design philosophy towards safety, reliability, and user well-being.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is an entry-level internship/co-op position, designed for students to gain practical experience in UX/UI and Industrial Design within a corporate, regulated environment. It serves as a foundational step for a career in design.

Reporting Structure: The intern will report to a manager or lead designer, receiving direct mentorship and guidance on projects. This close supervision is typical for internship roles.

Operations Impact: While this role is focused on design, the impact is significant. Well-designed interfaces and products directly improve patient care, enhance clinician efficiency, and contribute to Baxter's mission of saving and sustaining lives. The work directly influences product usability and market success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Development: Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard design tools (Adobe Creative Cloud) and methodologies (human-centered design, prototyping).

• Industry Exposure: Learn about the medical device industry, regulatory processes (e.g., FDA), and the unique challenges of designing for healthcare.

• Networking: Build professional relationships with experienced designers, engineers, and marketing professionals within a Fortune 500 company.

• Potential for Future Roles: Successful interns may be considered for future internships or entry-level positions upon graduation, potentially leading to a career path in UX/UI design, industrial design, or product development at Baxter.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary growth avenue is learning and skill acquisition. The role is a stepping stone, providing exposure and practical experience that can shape future career decisions and applications within the design field, particularly in regulated industries.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based at the Batesville, Indiana facility, which houses an Innovation Center, suggesting a modern, well-equipped workspace conducive to design and engineering activities.

Office Location(s): Batesville, Indiana (IN0307 - Batesville, IN - Innov Ctr 46). This is an on-site role.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The Innovation Center likely includes collaborative areas, meeting rooms, and potentially design studios to facilitate teamwork and brainstorming.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard office equipment, design software, and potentially specialized hardware or prototyping tools relevant to medical device design.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with the Global Design team and other cross-functional colleagues, fostering a dynamic and communicative work environment.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week, typical for full-time internships, with potential for some flexibility in daily hours depending on team needs and supervisor approval.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Innov Ctr" designation suggests a focus on forward-thinking projects and a collaborative atmosphere. Being on-site is crucial for hands-on design work, team collaboration, and access to company resources.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and application to assess qualifications and alignment with the role requirements.

• Portfolio Review: Candidates will be asked to submit a portfolio. This is a critical step where design thinking, technical skills, and project execution are evaluated.

• Interviews: This may include one or more rounds of interviews with hiring managers, senior designers, and potentially cross-functional team members. Interviews will likely assess design skills, problem-solving abilities, communication style, and cultural fit.

• Potential Design Exercise: A small design challenge or case study may be assigned to evaluate practical design skills and approach.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Effectively: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase your UI/UX and/or industrial design skills.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role and contributions, the design process you followed, key decisions made, and the final outcome or learnings.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is visually appealing, well-organized, and easy to navigate. Use high-quality images, mockups, and prototypes.

• Highlight Process: Emphasize your design thinking and problem-solving approach, not just the final visuals. Show how you arrived at your solutions.

• Tailor to Role: If possible, highlight projects that align with medical devices or complex product design.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to walk through your portfolio efficiently and answer specific questions about your work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If a design challenge is provided, thoroughly understand the user needs and business objectives.

• Think Aloud: During a live challenge, articulate your thought process, assumptions, and design decisions clearly.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate your ability to break down a problem, ideate solutions, and consider user experience, even within a limited timeframe.

• Be Realistic: For an internship role, the focus will be on demonstrating potential and a structured approach rather than delivering a fully polished solution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is paramount. Candidates should invest significant time in preparing a well-curated and clearly presented portfolio that highlights their design process and foundational skills relevant to UX/UI and industrial design.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Cloud: Essential proficiency required, particularly:

  • Adobe Illustrator: For creating vector graphics, icons, and detailed UI elements.
  • Adobe Photoshop: For image editing, creating raster graphics, and mockups.

• Prototyping Tools: While not explicitly listed as required, familiarity with tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD is highly beneficial for creating interactive mockups and prototypes.

• Wireframing Tools: Tools used for creating low-fidelity layouts and user flows.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Not directly applicable to this design internship role, as core responsibilities focus on design creation and visualization rather than performance analysis. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design internship role.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technical requirement is proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud. While other design tools are not mandated, demonstrating experience with them will strengthen an application. The role is focused on the creative and visualization aspects of design, not data analysis or system management.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Saving and Sustaining Lives: This overarching mission drives the company's commitment to quality, safety, and efficacy in all its products, including the design of user interfaces.

• Courage, Trust, and Collaboration: Baxter fosters a culture where employees are encouraged to take initiative, work transparently, and support each other.

• Accountability: Individuals are expected to take ownership of their work and deliver high-quality results.

• Efficiency and Effectiveness: The company values streamlined processes and optimal performance, which translates into designing user interfaces that are efficient for users.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The design team works seamlessly with engineering, marketing, and research to ensure holistic product development.

• User-Centric Approach: Collaboration is centered around understanding and addressing user needs, ensuring that design decisions are user-validated.

• Feedback & Iteration: A culture of open feedback and iterative design is likely present, encouraging constructive criticism and continuous improvement of design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission is a strong cultural anchor. For a design intern, this means understanding how design choices directly contribute to patient safety and clinician effectiveness, fostering a sense of purpose beyond aesthetics.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Regulated Environments: Understanding and adhering to the strict regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA) for medical devices can be complex for new designers.

• Balancing User Needs with Technical Constraints: Finding optimal design solutions that satisfy user requirements while respecting engineering limitations and cost considerations.

• Cross-Functional Communication: Effectively communicating design intent and rationale to diverse stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds.

• Adapting to Established Processes: Learning and working within Baxter's existing product development frameworks and design standards.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Medical Device Design: Gaining specialized knowledge in designing for the healthcare industry, including understanding user workflows in clinical settings and safety considerations.

• Advanced Design Tools: Deepening proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and potentially exploring new design software through team projects.

• Industry Best Practices: Learning from experienced professionals about best practices in UI/UX and industrial design within a corporate setting.

• Portfolio Enhancement: Completing impactful projects that can significantly enrich a professional design portfolio.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge is learning to operate within a regulated industry and a large corporate structure. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a unique chance to develop specialized skills in medical device design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process: "Walk me through your design process for a recent UI/UX project. How did you approach user research, ideation, and iteration?" (Be prepared to use your portfolio as a reference).

• Problem-Solving: "Describe a design challenge you faced and how you overcame it. What was the outcome?"

• Tool Proficiency: "What are your go-to tools for UI/UX design and prototyping, and why?" (Focus on Adobe CC, but mention others if applicable).

• Human-Centered Design: "How do you ensure your designs are user-centered and address actual user needs?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• Motivation: "Why Baxter? Why are you interested in designing medical devices?" (Connect your passion to Baxter's mission of saving and sustaining lives).

• Teamwork: "Describe your experience working in a team environment. How do you handle disagreements or feedback?"

• Adaptability: "How do you approach learning new tools or design principles?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, follow a clear story: Problem -> Your Role -> Process -> Solution -> Outcome/Learnings.

• Highlight Your Contributions: Clearly state what you did, especially if it was a group project.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visuals effectively to demonstrate your design thinking and the quality of your work.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges, and how you would handle specific scenarios.

• Connect to Baxter: Briefly explain how your skills and approach align with Baxter's mission and the role's responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview will heavily assess your design thinking, portfolio quality, and your ability to communicate your process and rationale. Demonstrating an understanding of Baxter's mission and the importance of design in healthcare will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this UX/UI Industrial Design Co-op position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Baxter careers portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your submitted portfolio is tailored to highlight UI/UX design, graphic design, and prototyping skills. If you have industrial design experience, include relevant projects.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize relevant coursework, design tool proficiency (especially Adobe Creative Cloud), and any prior design experience (internships, academic projects).

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, presenting your portfolio, and answering behavioral and technical questions related to UX/UI and industrial design.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Baxter International Inc., its mission, its product portfolio, and the importance of design in the medical device industry, particularly concerning user experience and safety.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.