Internship Opportunity: Human-Centered Design and Interface Optimization for an Educational Serious Game on Sustainability

Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) is a leading research and innovation organization based in Trento, Italy. With over 450 researchers across 12 Research Centers, FBK operates in diverse scientific and technological fields, organized into two main clusters: Technology & Innovation and Humanities & Social Sciences. More information: https://www.fbk.eu/en/about-us/.

The MoDiS (Motivational Digital Systems) Research Unit, part of the Digital Society center, focuses on advanced techniques and methodologies to support motivation, engagement, and behavior change in users. MoDiS develops personalized digital systems using game-based and persuasive strategies, which are applied across domains such as education, sustainability, and well-being. More information: https://modis.fbk.eu/.

The Digital Society center aims to address the key challenges of our digital future by conducting interdisciplinary research on integrative AI, intelligence at the edge, and socio-technical systems. The center actively collaborates with public institutions, companies, and universities to develop practical and impactful digital solutions.


Planned Activities:
The intern will spearhead the UX/UI evolution of the educational serious game through the following pillars:
  • Design and execute a research plan (including heuristic evaluations, usability testing, and semi-structured interviews) to pinpoint where the current serious game interface fails to support user engagement and learning goals.
  • Translate research findings into actionable design requirements, creating high-fidelity prototypes and visual interface layouts that adhere to modern HCI standards, cognitive load principles, and serious game mechanics.
  • Conduct rapid validation of new designs to ensure the proposed interface solves previously identified shortcomings and seamlessly supports sustainability learning outcomes.
  • Contribute to the authorship of scientific papers.

Requirements
  • Enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, HCI, Psychology, Interaction Design, or related fields
  • Good knowledge of User Research principles and usability evaluation methods
  • Good knowledge of prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD)
  • Interest in game UX, serious games, and design for behavior change/sustainability
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a research setting
  • Fluency in written and spoken English (minimum B2 level).

Internship Information
  • Type: Curricular internship (no allowance).
  • Duration: 3 to 6 months, depending on the candidate's needs and experience.
  • Location: Remote, hybrid, or in-person at Povo (Trento, Italy).
  • Other benefits:
    • Access to the internal canteen (except for UniTN students);
    • Opportunity to work on co-authored scientific publications;
    • Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams and other FBK research units;
    • Support for the search for accommodation at the affiliated structures (no allowance).

Additional Opportunities: This internship may be extended into a full research thesis for interested candidates.


How to Apply
Interested candidates should fill out the online form in the "Internship Opportunities" section at https://jobs.fbk.eu/, attaching the following documents in PDF format:
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Motivation letter

For any information, contact Simone Bassanelli (sbassanelli@fbk.eu), and Federico Bonetti (fbonetti@fbk.eu).