Internship User Research in Digital Airport team at EPCOR · Amstelveen

Introduction

Do you have a passion for understanding user behavior, optimizing intuitive interfaces and interventions, and creating real impact for both passengers and airport staff? As a User Research Intern within the Digital Airport team, you will investigate how passengers and airport personnel interact with digital products at Schiphol Airport. Your focus will be on enhancing the effectiveness and user adoption across multiple customer touchpoints and digital solutions.

This internship offers the opportunity to gain hands-on operational experience while conducting in-depth research. In consultation with the team, this role can also be tailored as a graduation thesis internship.

What are you going to do?

You will contribute to improving digital products and customer touchpoints within the transfer centers at Schiphol Airport. You will take ownership of a defined project and manage the entire research journey from start to finish, aligning solutions with the behavior and needs of passengers and frontline employees.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Taking initiative from the start: exploring the core challenge, defining the research methodology, and designing and validating potential improvements;
• Justifying your design and research decisions, and proactively thinking about the next steps, supported by guidance and collaboration from the team;
• Independently conducting qualitative research, such as interviews, user tests, and field observations, to map passenger behaviors and pain points during the transfer journey;
• Analyzing existing quantitative data to identify user friction and improvement opportunities, using data to validate and complement qualitative findings;
• Collaborating with product owners, business analysts, and designers to define and refine user-centered features;
• Working closely with operational teams (such as Passenger Services) and engaging with stakeholders across all levels (from frontline agents to senior management);
• Translating research insights into actionable advisory reports, clear product roadmaps, and concrete recommendations for passenger-facing digital products.

You won't just be doing theoretical research! You will actively help translate findings into viable, real-world solutions. The exact focus and any university requirements will be finalized in mutual agreement.

Where do you land?

You will become part of a diverse and ambitious Digital Airport product team, consisting of a Product Owner, business analysts, information analysts, a solution architect, and front-end and back-end developers. The product team is part of the joint digital organization of Air France-KLM (AFKL).

The team is distributed across the Netherlands and India. Because the team develops and manages digital products directly for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, you will collaborate closely with ground operations and key airport stakeholders. You will be based at the KLM Headquarters in Amstelveen and will also work regularly on-site at Schiphol Airport (close to end users and daily operations).

Your profile

We are looking for a practical, self-motivated, and enthusiastic team player who wants to gain meaningful work experience during their studies. You are pursuing an HBO Bachelor’s or Master’s degree aligned with user research, digital experience design, or human behavior, such as:

• UX Design / Communication & Multimedia Design (CMD);
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI);
• Applied Psychology / Behavioral Sciences;
• or a related field of study.

In addition:

• You have an analytical mindset and strong problem-solving abilities to translate research findings into design concepts and practical solutions;
• You work accurately, proactively, and independently, showing initiative when tackling new challenges;
• You are curious, creative, detail-oriented, and data-minded;
• You have experience with or a strong interest in qualitative research methodologies (such as in-depth interviews and observational studies);
• You feel comfortable approaching end users, such as international passengers and airport agents, and engaging in conversations with them;
• You have a solid grasp of user-centered design principles and methodologies (or are eager to learn);
• You have strong communication skills in both Dutch and English;
• Experience or familiarity with design and prototyping tools such as Figma is considered a strong plus.

Practical information

• You are available for a minimum of 4 to 6 months;
• You are available for 32 to 40 hours per week;
• The preferred start date is in February 2027;
• The internship can be structured as either a practical hands-on working internship or a graduation thesis.

Please note: This role requires access to secure airside areas at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. To obtain and retain a Schiphol security pass, you must successfully complete all mandatory background checks, Safety & Security e-learning modules, and assessments. You must also be eligible for a Dutch Certificate of No Objection (VGB: Verklaring van Geen Bezwaar).

Competencies