Over my 8-year career in product design, and particularly in the past 6 years as someone responsible for hiring designers, I have observed a concerning trend. Designers seem to be losing their creative edge, increasingly adopting the mindset of product managers rather than embracing their role as innovators. The article is written by Victoria Lisitsyna, a UX/UI designer, art director, and mentor from Russia, exclusively for TechBullion
Currently, in 2023, the market is experiencing a peculiar situation: a global crisis in the IT sector has led to tens of thousands of skilled and experienced professionals being laid off. Conversely, the few companies that are still hiring receive thousands of applications within the first few days of a job posting. Naturally, it has become more challenging for them to conduct thorough interviews, leading to more complex selection processes designed to filter out the majority of candidates early on.
Simultaneously, there is a proliferation of articles, webinars, and courses aimed at teaching candidates how to excel in interviews and secure job offers in this competitive environment. Consequently, talented professionals are compelled to develop a new skill—the skill of passing interviews.
At all the companies where I have worked, our goal has always been to hire exceptional individuals: talented professionals who are unafraid to take on responsibility and propose innovative ideas. During each interview, I aim to uncover the candidate’s genuine interests and passions. However, this has become increasingly difficult as more candidates appear to rely on rehearsed responses, following scripts on what to say and how to say it, masking their true thoughts and creative potential.
What I Look For in Designers, Key Questions I Ask, and Reasons for Rejection
“What are you passionate about in design or life? What makes your eyes light up and what could you talk about for hours?”
I find it inspiring when candidates’ eyes genuinely light up in response to this question, to the point where I have to stop them because they could continue talking about their passion indefinitely. There is no right or wrong answer here; I am not interested in judging their interests. The only correct response is to demonstrate genuine passion, to not lose that inner spark, and to be able to express it. This is a crucial quality for me, as I want to work with people who bring that energy and enthusiasm to their roles.
“If you had to choose just one essential quality for a designer, what would it be?”
Again, this question does not have a single correct answer, but I am interested in seeing how readily a candidate engages with the challenge and is willing to embark on a thought experiment. I recognise that this is a “difficult question” and that “a designer’s role is multi-faceted and cannot be reduced to a single quality.” However, the purpose of this exercise is to encourage creative thinking within constraints, as limitations often inspire innovation and lead to the best solutions.
When candidates respond with complaints about the question’s difficulty or perceived unfairness, it often reveals a mindset that may not be conducive to problem-solving in high-pressure situations. For example, a designer might argue against completing a task in a tight timeframe during a crisis, insisting it is “impossible” or “unfair.” While these concerns are valid, the immediate task is to find a way to achieve the objective together, demonstrating resilience and adaptability.
Explaining the Purpose of Features in Popular Products: Why Do Taxi Services Raise Prices During Peak Demand?
- This question provides significant insight into a designer’s mindset:
- Their understanding of business models, revenue streams, expenditures, and key product metrics.
- Their worldview and assumptions about business practices. Occasionally, candidates offer simplistic or cynical views, such as “Businesses raise taxi prices during peak demand just to make more money because they can and enjoy earning more.” While this perspective is valid, it lacks depth and nuance.
- Their ability to reason, formulate logical assumptions, and convey complex ideas in an accessible manner.
These are my three core questions that I consistently ask. In theory, I could eliminate all other questions and interview stages, relying solely on these to gauge a designer’s suitability, as they reveal most of what I need to understand about a candidate.
Many designers fail at this stage: their passion is not evident, and they lack a fundamental understanding of product metrics. Frequently, they become flustered or are reluctant to think aloud if they do not have the “right” answer immediately, despite our efforts to create a trusting interview environment where we positively reinforce every response and emphasise that the process of thinking is often more valuable than the correct answer.
The Need to Reclaim the Designer’s Role
One of my preferred practical exercises for designers is to ask them to imagine what the process of learning 3D design would look like in an ideal world—a world without constraints such as development limitations, sprints, return on investment (ROI), or other barriers. This exercise quickly highlights a common problem: many designers have lost the ability to dream boldly, propose daring solutions, and envision ambitious concepts.
I am not suggesting that designers should be ignorant of metrics or disregard business needs; quite the opposite—it is vital. However, these considerations should be viewed as basic professional competence. It is crucial to remember that, first and foremost, designers are creators with the potential to effect change, propose audacious and innovative solutions, and craft aesthetically pleasing work.
Understanding business processes, developmental limitations, and the responsibilities of product managers is undoubtedly important. However, we must not lose sight of our primary purpose. Our main mission is not only to solve business challenges but also to innovate and create beauty that inspires and propels the world forward.
Examples to Encourage Designers’ Creative Thinking:
Exercise: try to reimagine a common object or tool, such as a coffee cup, to serve multiple new purposes. This encourages thinking beyond functionality and considering broader user experiences.
Scenario: challenge to conceptualise a mobile app feature that leverages augmented reality (AR) in an unexpected way to enhance user engagement, without the typical constraints of current technology.
