Hope Kiefner and Noah Woodring are turning classroom skills into community impact by shaping a first‑of‑its‑kind apprenticeship in The Idaho Office of Information Technology Services.
When Hope Kiefner and Noah Woodring signed on as the first User Experience (UX) apprentices with the Idaho Office of Information Technology Services, they didn’t just step into new roles — they began building the program itself.
“It’s been surprising how, even as a smaller part of a big process, you can still make a big impact,” Kiefner said. “The support across teams has made the transition feel easy.”
Both arrived at the apprenticeship through the User Experience Design certificate at Boise State’s College of Innovation + Design. Kiefner was a Digital Innovation + Design major and Woodring is a graphic design major — both enrolled in the UX design certificate to deepen their design skills and learn a new way of thinking.
“Graphic design is very visual,” Woodring said. “UXD challenged me to think about the whole experience and how to design it.”
From course projects to real‑world wins
During her junior year (fall 2023), Kiefner leaned into UX’s hands‑on work with real clients. A favorite project focused on better connecting with younger visitors for a health‑tech partner. After researching user needs, she proposed adding a live page to allow the company to connect with their users better. Months later, she checked back — the idea had been implemented.
“Seeing an organization take my idea and bring it into reality was so satisfying,” she said.
Woodring points to the program’s consistent process — interviewing, prototyping and testing — as key preparation. “Every class reinforced design thinking,” he said. “By the time I started the apprenticeship, I could explain the value of UX and how it improves systems and services.”
Building an apprenticeship — as apprentices
Because Kiefner and Woodring are the Office of Information Technology Services’s first UX apprentices, they’ve had unusual autonomy — and responsibility. Their manager encourages them to discover problems and propose solutions.
One of their main efforts is improving the apprenticeship application experience itself. Working closely with the office, they’re redesigning forms, creating clearer communications for applicants and building light‑code automations to reduce manual workload.
“We’ve focused on making the process easier for both applicants and the manager who maintains it,” Woodring said. “Learning automation tools has been cool — you can really make this easier when you learn how to implement them.”
Kiefner noted that exposure to tools like Zapier in UXD coursework made stepping into Microsoft tools feel natural. “The building‑block mindset is the same,” she said. “You’re streamlining a process with users in mind.”
Research, mentorship and a culture of asking
Beyond redesigning processes, Kiefner and Woodring are helping the organization with their modernization efforts and integration of another government agency. They’re interviewing the employees who are moving over and noting what will make the transition easier — then turning those insights into clearer handoffs and more usable resources.
“The UX principles we learned — staying unbiased, listening deeply, iterating based on feedback — show up every day,” Kiefner said. “It’s reinforced my belief that every organization benefits from someone in a UX role.”
Both apprentices credit mentorship for their quick growth. “My manager always says, ‘I may not know the answer, but I can connect you to the person who does,’” Woodring said.
For Kiefner, in‑person feedback and a trusted partner have accelerated growth: “Getting ideas out in the open and iterating together — that’s been the best part. Having a partner like Noah to bounce ideas off has been huge.”
What comes next
For Kiefner, the apprenticeship has clarified a path. “I’d be happy building a career in UX,” she said. “Even if the title isn’t ‘UX designer,’ the mindset is a strong foundation for any role that serves people.”
Woodring is currently in the apprenticeship and sees a hybrid path after — combining graphic design with the UX skills he’s building now. “Graphic design will always be part of what I do,” he said. “Adding UX makes me more versatile and marketable. This experience is expanding my toolkit.”
About DI+D and the UXD Certificate at CI+D
Boise State’s DI+D program and UX Design certificate emphasize hands-on learning with real organizations, blending research, prototyping and iterative testing. Students build portfolios grounded in human‑centered practices and graduate ready to contribute on day one in roles across industry and the public sector.