Recruitment

Spring 2025

Human-centered design begins with the desire to help people, improve the world, and the curiosity to question how and why things are the way they are. We focus on the users, the power of telling a story, and on growing the instinct to create.

Application Process

Written Application

APPLICATIONS DUE: Friday, January 31, at 5:00 PM PST

The first application round is a written application with a focus on sharing about yourself. We want to get to know you, your interests, and your passion and commitment to design. We do track event attendance as a measure of interest, but attendance is not mandatory. It can help your application, not hinder. The events are meant to inform you about Berkeley Innovation, not needlessly stress you out.

APPLY NOW ↗︎

Infosessions

Come meet us and learn more about what we do at any one of our infosessions! We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. Our infosessions this semester also have an applicant workshop at the end, which you are free to stay for!

#1 THU JAN 23 / 8:00PM PST @ Jacobs 310

#2 THU JAN 30 / 8:00PM PST @ Jacobs 310

Under-Represented Minorities (URM) in Design Night

Are you passionate about design and looking to find a community? Join us for the URM in Design Recruitment Event—a unique opportunity to connect with 10 amazing design clubs at UC Berkeley! Meet representatives from Berkeley Innovation, Undergraduate Marketing Association, Web Development @ Berkeley, Innovative Design, UX@Berkeley, Blueprint, Diversatech, Invention Corps, BEACN, Sustainable Solutions, and Engineers without Borders! You do not have to identify as URM to attend this event - all are welcome!!

MON JAN 27 / 7:00PM PST @ Jacobs 310

Meet the Club

We’d love to get to know you! Come and talk to our amazing members about all things Berkeley Innovation and beyond!

TUE JAN 28 / 7 PM @ Wurster Courtyard

Human-Centered Design Workshop

Learn about the Human Centered Design Process (HCD) and get tips on how to complete your application in the first part of this two part series on HCD. Past deck examples will be shown but not recorded during these education workshops.

WED JAN 29 / 8PM PST @ SOCS 166

Coffee Chats

Come talk to Berkeley Innovation members about the club! Coffee chats are an opportunity for you to learn more about the club and what we do. They are completely optional and not mandatory. If you are unsure how to approach a coffee chat / what is expected, feel free to use our Coffee Chat Guide resource.

tinyurl.com/sp25-coffee-chats

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INVITE ONLY

Design Challenge

OPENS FEB 2

If you progress past the written application, you will be tasked to complete a design challenge that showcases your creativity and understanding of the human-centered design process. There is no one correct solution to the challenge — we just want to see how you approach and solve problems!

Office Hours

FEB 4 - FEB 5 / 2PM - 6PM @ BNORTH 82A

FEB 6 / 2PM - 6PM @ ESH 310

We’ll be holding office hours to answer any questions you may have about the design challenge and beyond. There are no bad questions, so please feel free to drop in and chat with us :)

Interviews

FEB 8

A 45-minute interview for us to get to know you better.

Social Noon

FEB 9

This will be a 2 hour event consisting of interactive and fun design games involving teamwork and design thinking, as well as a casual meet and greet with the officers.

Final decisions will be sent out on this night.

APP Resources ↗︎

FAQ

WHO CAN APPLY?

We’re looking for undergraduates at UC Berkeley of any grade level to join our team! Prospective applicants must be able to attend our weekly general meetings on Tuesdays from 7-9 PM PST.

DO I HAVE TO BE ENROLLED?

Undergraduate UC Berkeley students who are not enrolled and are taking a gap year/semester are eligible to apply.

DO I HAVE TO BE A DESIGN-RELATED MAJOR?

Nope! We’re always looking for people that come from different backgrounds and can bring a new perspective to our club. In the past, we’ve had members coming from a wide variety of majors such as sociology, psychology, business, anthropology, political science, public health, economics, computer science, interdisciplinary studies, etc.

HOW DO PROJECTS WORK?

We generally have around 7-8 projects every semester, with teams of 4 consultants + 1 mentor per project. (Come to our info sessions to learn more about this semester’s projects!) You will be matched with a project/team based on your interest in the project and experience. New members will attend new member workshops every other week that will teach them how to use basic design principles, tools, and practices as they work on a project alongside more seasoned BI members.

WHAT ARE THE COMMITMENTS AS A CONSULTANT?

Generally 8 to 12 hours per week:

2 hours for mandatory general meetings on Tuesdays from 7–9PM

3-4 hours for team meetings and project work

1 hours for client meetings

1-2 hours for club events

New members will have bi-weekly design workshops for 1.5 hours to make sure you are well prepared for working with on your project and a one weekend bootcamp at the start of the semester

Our Recruitment Process

We wish we could accept everyone and design together, but unfortunately we cannot manage such a large community while maintaining our club and quality of work on projects. With this in mind, here are some of the main aspects we look at when considering applicants: