Vylan Tran's (IDEA Grad 2024) third week Industry Practicum at Minivillage
Capilano University's IDEA School of Design has a strong connection with the Vancouver creative industry including fourth-year practicums. The final course in our four-year degree program—IDES 490 Industry Practicum—is an eight-week full-time placement in a local Vancouver company.
We hope some of these practicums will end in job offers. We expect that all placements will give our students' résumés a boost and provide some excellent professional references.
Check out this practicum story by Vylan Tran (IDEA Grad 2024) at Minivillage!
Week 3: Why Minivillage?
Perhaps I should have started my very first blog post with this question: why did I apply to Minivillage for my practicum? What drew me to this company when I first looked at their practicum description—then did a little more research to learn more about them? Well, it’s never too late to dive into this topic!
I remember reading the story of how Minivillage came to be. Mark went door to door after moving to Vancouver to introduce himself and to see what would happen. Instead of being turned away, he discovered that people were actually very open to talking and connecting.
“Building managers use Minivillage to offer a best-in-class resident platform with building-wide communication, community activities, engagement data, and a trained Community Coordinator.”
Sharon, Alyssa, and I at the end of a productive weekly check-in meeting
“With Minivillage, meet trustworthy neighbours, build a support network, and easily get involved with the local community.”
I also remember thinking it would be nice to see that more—neighbours connecting with one another and having more of a community. The discussion of communities, loneliness, etc. is something I sometimes have with my friends and family. Many of them don’t know their neighbours at all, but think that it would be nice to have a community closeby. In my own neighbourhood, I’m only acquainted with the neighbours in the houses closest to me. My parents know them better, and I’ve seen that it’s a great help to have someone to keep an eye on the house when we go away or when we need help with something (and vice versa).
Something else I like about Minivillage is the close-knit team. Everyone has a warmth and passion to them. They all believe in the work that Minivillage does which I think is wonderful—it’s always great to be surrounded by people whose goals align.
How the Figma file looks for my current project with plenty of comments and lots of mid-fi wireframing
Speaking about the team, the current team for the project I’m working on has been fantastic. The feedback I have been receiving from Sharon and Alyssa has all been very helpful and I feel super supported every step of the way. At the moment, in terms of work, I’m wrapping up some of the mid-fi wires and advancing onto hi-fi.
In short, as someone who enjoys being in a community, and wants to be at a company that works towards a cause I believe in, Minivillage’s vision of supporting meaningful connections really resonates with me and that is why I applied to them for my practicum.
A close-up of some lo-fi work from this week when I was quickly ideating layouts
“This experiential learning course takes place primarily off campus. Students work within a studio/agency environment or with a personal mentor in a capacity related to visual communication. Students undergo a placement interview and both parties work to strict contractual guidelines that guide behaviour and learning in a professional environment. Students provide written reflection and a final report on their work experience.”
