Internship Opportunity: Front-End Co-Design and Development of a Gamification Design Platform

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 co-design and front-end development of the platform through the following pillars:
  • Co-design intuitive interaction mechanisms and interface flows (e.g., visual rule builders, workflow canvases, and dashboards) to simplify gamification system authoring.
  • Translate visual concepts into production-ready, modular, and responsive front-end Web components adhering to modern HCI standards and clean software architecture.
  • Conduct rapid usability evaluations with system authors to identify workflow friction and iteratively refine the authoring platform's interface.
  • Contribute to the authorship of scientific papers.

Requirements
  • Enrollment in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, HCI, Web Development, or related fields.
  • Strong skills and knowledge in Front-End web development (e.g., JavaScript/TypeScript, React/Vue/Svelte, HTML5/CSS3).
  • Good knowledge of HCI principles, user-centered design, and interaction prototyping.
  • Interest in gamification mechanics, authoring platforms, and human-computer interaction.
  • 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).