It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.
We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.
The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.
If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.
Primary Function of Position
Interaction Design is a key role at Intuitive Surgical, with responsibilities that cut across multiple technical disciplines. We bring a human-centered design process to healthcare innovation and the development of physical and digital interfaces that are safe, effective, and delight our users.
As an Interaction Design Intern on the da Vinci Single-Port team, you will collaborate with the User Experience Design team to craft and refine innovative, user-centered experiences for your assigned project. This role will work closely with senior-level designers who will provide day-to-day mentorship and guidance. Over a 10–12 week period, the intern will assist with creating user flows, wireframes, and prototypes, participate in design critiques and cross-functional collaboration, and help translate research insights into design improvements. In this role, you will work on solving complex interactions at the intersection of hardware and software, helping to create seamless experiences that connect physical devices and digital interfaces.
Essential Job Duties
Support the design of user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes for an assigned project, contributing to the development and iteration of user experience solutions under the guidance of senior designers
Participate in design critiques, reviews, and cross-functional meetings, incorporating feedback from design, clinical, human factors, product, and engineering partners into iterative design work
Conduct or assist with user research and usability activities (e.g., preparing materials, observing sessions, synthesizing findings), and help translate insights into design improvements
Present design work regularly throughout the internship to the design team and other stakeholders, culminating in a final presentation that summarizes key contributions, learnings, and design outcomes
Required Skills and Experience
University Hiring Program Eligibility Requirements:
University Enrollment: Must be currently enrolled in and returning to an accredited degree-seeking academic program after the internship.
Internship Work Period: Must be available to work full-time (approximately 40 hours per week) during a 10-12 week period starting May or June 2026. Specific start dates are shared during the recruiting process.
Coursework or project experience specifically focused on interaction design, user experience design, or human-computer interaction (A portfolio is required)
Ability to create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes to communicate ideas
Foundational understanding of human-centered design principles and usability best practices
Working familiarity with a modern design and prototyping tool such as Figma
Ability to explain design decisions and incorporate feedback during reviews and critiques
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Organized, dependable, and able to manage multiple tasks in a collaborative environment
Willingness to work in surgical environments
Required Education and Training
Current enrollment in a Product Design, User Experience Design, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (or equivalent) degree-seeking program at the Bachelor’s level.
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience creating all levels of fidelity prototypes and interactive flows
Familiarity with usability testing methods and synthesizing feedback into design iterations
Working knowledge of Figma components, auto layout, and prototyping features
Experience collaborating with cross-functional partners (Engineering, Product, Research, etc.) in academic or project settings
Comfort working in ambiguous problem spaces and iterating as requirements evolve
Strong visual design sense, including layout, typography, color, and the ability to create visually clear and effective designs
Curiosity, attention to detail, and eagerness to learn
Growth mindset and proactiveness to seek feedback
Experience designing for 3D, AR, or VR environments is a plus
Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19. Details can vary by role.
Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.
U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer: In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.
Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).
For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes.
We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.
We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay (paid at an hourly rate), benefits, and a housing allowance. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including relevant skills and experience for this internship, degree-seeking academic program (PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc), year in school, and location. The hourly rate is prorated against the intern program salaries listed and total program compensation will be based on internship duration.
