Tech
Feb 26, 2025
From Intern to Product Designer - Meet Justas
At Wolt, design is at the heart of everything we ship. Our design team’s mission is to craft delightful experiences that differentiate Wolt, inspire customer loyalty, and drive business success. Interns play an important role in our design team each year, and we often get questions about what the life of a design intern looks like at Wolt. That’s why we sat down with Justas, who joined us last year as an intern and has since joined Wolt full-time as a Product Designer in our courier team. Let’s dive into Justas’ story!
Hello 👋 Tell us a little bit about yourself and what do you do at Wolt?
Hi! I’m Justas, a Product Designer at Wolt. I started as an intern in the courier team, where we work on the Courier Partner app—helping our courier partners manage deliveries and other tasks with Wolt. Now, I’m part of the Supply and Demand subgroup, focusing on projects that balance business needs while ensuring the best possible experience for couriers partnering with Wolt.
I didn’t come straight from university but transitioned from a creative, yet quite different, background in the retail industry—specifically in visual marketing. While working on window display presentations, I realized I was missing the more technical and problem-solving side of creating things. I also had aspirations to design and develop concepts myself, which led me to explore different design disciplines. That’s when I discovered UX and UI design—it combined creativity, problem-solving, and psychology, all while aligning with my interest in technology. I was immediately drawn in.
To transition my career towards product design, I immersed myself in studying, had an inspiring, supportive mentor (shout-out to Lorenzo!), worked on a few short-term projects for a startup and a nonprofit organization, and built a portfolio with real-world experience. These projects helped me develop case studies to discuss during design hiring processes. Eventually, I was thrilled to join Wolt and continue growing as a designer here!
Why did you decide to join Wolt?
I was a Wolt customer before joining—it was my go-to app for ordering food. I always appreciated the smooth user experience along with intuitive and fun design. So when I came across the internship opportunity, I was excited by the chance to work at a company known for its strong focus on user experience and design-driven culture. I felt my background aligned well with Wolt’s approach, and it seemed like the perfect place to grow as a designer.
What kind of things were you working on during the internship?
I started with an audit-style project, which helped me familiarize myself with and understand the product area I would later work on more extensively. After that, I took on a complex and exciting project focused on adding a new feature that helps us attract new Courier Partners to partner with Wolt. Additionally, I worked on improving a part of the onboarding flow that we have for our new Courier Partners, introducing ways for them to resolve issues on their own and reduce waiting times.
This isn’t the kind of internship where you’re limited to small tasks or just supporting others. At Wolt, you’re trusted to take on projects independently, but with strong support from senior team members and close collaboration with cross-functional teams. You begin by discussing the brief and plan with the team, then move on to research and ideation while regularly checking in for feedback. The team is always there to support you—whether it’s providing feedback, offering more context, or helping to unblock you. Once you feel the design is ready for discussion, you present it in a design review and keep iterating on feedback. I believe this approach is not only the best way to learn but also a great way for the company to evaluate a person’s skills and potential.
What does the day-to-day look like for a design intern?
I’d say a design intern’s day-to-day is quite similar to that of any other designer, though you might have fewer meetings, giving you more focus time for your projects. That said, you’ll still have regular check-ins with your design and cross-functional teams to share updates, participate in design shares, attend design reviews, and stay informed through company-wide updates.
The rest of your time is spent working on your projects, engaging with the team, collaborating, and refining your designs to achieve the best possible outcome. The days are dynamic. The first version of your design is never your final one. You’ll make mistakes, keep learning, and iterate every day, which is all part of the process!
What have been the biggest learnings from the internship?
One of the biggest takeaways from my internship was learning how to approach projects within an existing product in a large organization like Wolt. With so many interconnected features across the native app and operational software, I quickly realised the importance of understanding dependencies and collaborating with cross-functional teams. At the same time, I learned how to design within existing constraints while maintaining an innovation-driven mindset. I also joined during a transitional period when we were optimizing the design system and libraries. While this came with challenges - such as adjusting to evolving guidelines and maintaining consistency - it was an invaluable learning experience. Watching the design system evolve and seeing how the organization adapted to these changes gave me a deeper appreciation for scalable design and cross-functional collaboration.
Why did you decide to stay at Wolt after the internship?
Wolt is a great place for a designer to work! One of the main reasons I’ve stayed was the same one that led me to apply in the first place - the strong understanding of design’s value within the company and our dedication to creating the best possible user experience.
On top of that, it’s simply a fun product with great branding, which makes designing for it even more exciting. I also appreciate the work culture, the hybrid work environment, and the opportunities for growth and trust that Wolt offers. The team is incredibly supportive and friendly, and the projects challenge both critical thinking and creativity.
Overall, it just felt like the right fit!
How was the application process and any tips for those thinking about applying to our internship this year?
The application process was smooth, clear, and prompt! I was pleasantly surprised by how well I was kept informed throughout and how quickly I received updates.
I applied through Wolt’s careers site, had an initial interview with the Talent Acquisition team, and an interview with a design lead to discuss my profile, learn more about Wolt, where I also got to present an example case of my previous work from my portfolio.. After that, I completed a take-home assignment (unrelated to Wolt) and was invited to present it to an engineering lead and a senior designer, which led to an offer.
I’d recommend approaching the application from the hiring manager’s perspective - if you were in their position, what would you look for in a candidate? While it depends on the role, I think Wolt generally values strong visual skills, the ability to tackle complex flows, and qualities like ownership, collaboration, flexibility, ambition, and a drive for excellence.
Make sure to demonstrate these qualities throughout the process. When presenting your work, clearly explain your design decisions and stay open to feedback!
