From Assumptions to #1: Transforming AEP’s Internship Experience
How a 6-week research sprint debunked HR myths and propelled the program to the top of the U.S. energy industry
Duration
6 weeks
Disciplines
- Experience Design & Strategy
- Generative Research
- Service Design
Tools
- Figma
- Miro
- UserTesting
- MS Suite
Project at a Glance
American Electric Power (AEP) is a Fortune 500 utility company serving over 5 million customers across 11 states.
So What?
Securing a #1 industry ranking through a lean research sprint serves as a powerful “senior signal.” It demonstrates that UX research is not merely a usability tool but a strategic safeguard that prevents the massive misallocation of corporate resources.
Constraints
Sensitive internal data was redacted for confidentiality; all research and synthesis had to be finalized within a strict 6-week window.
Process
The Challenge:
HR was trying to solve the wrong problem
In 2023, AEP’s HR team launched a project to improve the internship experience. However, they lacked data on where to focus. They needed help validating if their assumptions were the true levers for impact.
- Assumption A: Salary is uncompetitive.
- Assumption B: Manager performance is poor.
The Risk
HR had already begun making changes and allocating budget based on these unverified assumptions.
Mapping the Experience:
From career fair to FTE conversion
Alignment meetings with HR confirmed these 7 critical stages required investigation to find the gap between expectation and experience.
*FTE: full-time employee
Investigating the Gap:
Inside and outside perspectives
Process:
Weekly updates and strategic exercises ensured constant alignment with the HR Transformation Managers.
CO-DESIGNING user experiences
Co-design sessions lowered defenses and unlocked honest feedback
Key Activity: Medieval Reactions
Method: Participants selected medieval paintings, emojis, and words to represent their feelings at specific touchpoints on the timeline.
Why it worked: It provided a safe, humorous language for interns to criticize a large corporation and their bosses fearlessly.
And I even created a template that you can see here.
Myth-Busting:
Reality vs. Assumption
The Real Friction:
Timing and Technology
Visualizing the Emotional Rollercoaster
The Ideal Solution:
Designing the “Red Carpet” Experience
Examples:
- Jack receives a response from AEP within 2-4 weeks.
- Jack starts the onboarding process on his first day with full access.
- Jack receives a full-time offer within a promised time frame.
- Jack is excited to work and assigned a mentor immediately.”
The Strategy Map:
Preventing Recurring Issues
Key recommendation:
HR must tackle these concerns raised early to prevent them from compounding downstream.
Turning Insights into Action
ACTION: Interns
- Reduced the “waiting game” by optimizing offer letter delivery timelines.
- Streamlined IT onboarding to ensure new hires have immediate access to technology.
- Implemented the “Happy Path” framework to guide strategic policy changes.
ACTION: Managers
- Strengthened communication channels between HR and hiring managers to ensure alignment.
The Result
TOP
Ranked top company for internships in the energy industry.
Timeline
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more or less normal distribution of the point of using.
Timeline
6 months after implementation.
Sample Size
Based on a survey of 13,000 current and former interns.
Competitive Set
Top 1 out of 145 energy companies.
Testimonials
“Results highlighted critical student pain points: a need for job-specific details and a desire for increased recruitment speed.”
“The design team delivered above and beyond what I thought possible, highlighting specific examples that told a larger story in a succinct and meaningful way. You are rock stars!”
Key Takeaways
Look Outside
Gathering feedback from competitors’ interns was crucial to understanding “mental models” and setting a baseline for what “good” looks like (e.g., the 2-week offer window).
Test Early
The Validating assumptions early saved resources. HR was ready to spend money fixing salaries, which wasn’t the problem.
Co-Design Impact
Using creative methods like “Medieval Reactions” breaks down professional barriers and yields deeper and honest insights.