Questions for a graphic designer during an interview. Test task for a designer

If you're looking for a job as a designer, at some point during the interview, or even before the interview begins, the magic words "test assignment" may be uttered. Personally, this seems very strange to me. I can understand when we are talking about a person with a completely empty resume, but if you have some experience, a portfolio, the employer looked at it, invited you, you came and spend your time answering all the questions of interest, then a person with There is comprehensive information on the other side of the table to decide whether you are suitable for the job or not. Do you have enough experience or not? Why you need to take some other “exams” for professional suitability on top of everything else is not clear.

Someone will say that the employer is taking a risk and wants to hedge his bets. But for this he has, among other things, a probationary period. What is the risk if within 3 months (or even more) you can be thrown out of work without explanation?

Another nonsense is that the task is usually final, after a thorough study of the resume and an interview with the candidate. At the same time, I have never encountered a situation where, after completing a task, for example, the probationary period is removed or shortened. Or a higher salary is offered for excellent performance.

It seems to me that this question most often arises in 2 cases:

• The person from the other end of the table is not very smart. Not only is he unable to ask the right questions and make a decision based on all the information received, he does not respect your time, he considers you a priori some kind of freeloading student who is apparently trying to deceive him and suck all the juice out of the wonderful “dream company”.
• They are just trying to use you. Under the guise of a test task, they give you a completely real job, but they don’t plan to hire you at all. Moreover, this can be either a certain “style” of work of the company as a whole, or simply the ingenuity of an individual employee. It is especially easy to snag tasks when you are a representative of a company with a well-known name.

• If you have almost no experience and an empty portfolio, you are new to this field, and the employer’s doubts are quite understandable, but the test task itself is quite abstract, will not require more than 8 hours of your time with lunches and smoke breaks, and is definitely not related to desire to use you for free.
• The test task is paid. After all, it's essentially the same job. Therefore, you may well say that, ok, I will estimate the labor costs, divide the salary that I am asking for by 160 (working hours per month with a 40-hour week), multiply one by the other, and issue an invoice. If you are willing to pay for it, I will take on the task. After all, any work must be paid, and you value your time. Let employers value him too, because this is exactly what you are trying to negotiate - you have experience and personal time, the employer has tasks and money.
• The task is simply incredibly interesting and unique, and you have a lot of free unpaid time.

Now clinical cases from personal practice. If you come across something like this, it will definitely not lead to anything good.

• There is no charge for the test task. For many, this will be a revelation now, but in general, this is work that takes time and distracts me from my main tasks, therefore it must be paid.
• The assignment is sent on several sheets (my record is 7 A4 sheets) in small print, consisting of items with extremely vague wording.
• It is proposed to complete the test task online, on Skype, sitting in front of the bright eyes of the employer.
• The test task has nothing to do with future work - for example, they sent me a mountain of tasks for usability specialists for the position of a designer.
• “You are EXACTLY suitable for us, BUT we will only hire you after a test task.” (Well, take it, since I’m up to it, and give me any tasks, not necessarily tests.)
• The test task is aimed at solving a specific problem of the company. I did this once, after sitting over the solution and thinking it through well, in the end the result was quickly implemented on the company’s website one-on-one.
• There was also a case when a good test task was sent with a bunch of corrections, almost in red pen, with a request to work more and send the final result.
• There is a strict ban on using the results in your portfolio.

Designers usually come to interviews with their work.

Regarding the portfolio, you can ask the following questions:

• Did you work alone or in a team?
• What was the task?
• How much time was spent?
• Which job do you think is the best?
• What are the shortcomings?

Block 2. Questions to assess general understanding of the process

There are designers who simply “draw pictures”, and there are those who have a deeper understanding of the product and user needs.

To understand what type a candidate is, during an interview you can ask:

1. Tell us how the design process should ideally go - from start to finish.

If the candidate immediately starts telling how he opens Photoshop, then he is just a “drawer” of pictures.

If the candidate starts with what is needed:

• understand the purpose for which the design is being made
• survey users
• identify work scenarios
• And so on.

In this case, you have a more serious specialist in front of you.

2. Another question to assess general understanding could be: who has a better design - apple or samsung?

You need to watch how the candidate thinks. In particular, you need to pay attention to what “features” the designer highlights and what he focuses on.

This will mean that these are the aspects that are important to him in design.

Advice: in the case of hiring a designer, it is also very important to call the previous employer and find out if there are any pitfalls.

Block 3. General standard questions

Questions like:

• Are you a loner or do you like to work in a team?
• What mode of operation is convenient for you?

Since designers are creative people, a flexible schedule will be important to them.

• What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?
• What else are you interested in besides design?
• And so on

Recently, as an exercise, I took part in the Affinity Mapping study. - Approx. ed.) with the participation of volunteers. His goal is to create a survival guide for the HCI master's program at Georgia Tech. While classifying the guiding principles of career development, I came across a question from a respondent:

“What do companies want in UX designer candidates?”

As soon as I saw it, I felt like I was asking exactly the same question my first semester when I was applying for UX design internships. I tried to find articles on the topic, read discussions on UX forums, and talk to design professionals, but these efforts clarified almost nothing. While I was studying hard, I didn’t have time to dig deeper into this issue. And then I never found out what qualities a candidate should demonstrate during an interview for the corresponding position.
Finally now, in my second year of graduate school, I have overcome this stage of uncertainty. My own experience of interviews in several companies allowed me to take a certain position on this issue. I realized that each company that interviewed me had different expectations and different criteria for evaluating candidates. There are many factors that come into play during an interview: the team that is interviewing you, the potential project you will be working on, your skills, the company culture, position, experience, the skills of the person interviewing you, and so on. All these factors set the evaluation criterion. In this article, I'll share what I've learned from my interview experiences at Google, Apple, and Salesforce.
The information I share is solely based on my experience and my point of view. Of course, candidates' experiences may vary.

Google - Interaction Designer

Google has been ranked as the best company to work for by Fortune for the sixth year in a row. Over the past year alone, the company has grown many times. In addition, Google has a regular practice of hiring UX/Interaction Design interns for a variety of projects: from Daydream (VR platform) to Project Sunroof(analysis of solar energy saving potential). I interviewed and found that Google values ​​the following characteristics:

#1 Curiosity and desire to learn new things

Stay up to date with what's happening in the design world

UX design is a young and dynamic field that is constantly seeking to redefine itself. Design teams from established companies and designers working alone constantly contribute to the design community by experimenting and standardizing new patterns. I think it's incumbent on young designers to make every effort to keep up with the recent boom in our industry. From my experience, the knowledge gained in school is research oriented and limited to courses. I find it very helpful to set aside time each week specifically to explore the world of design today.

My personal selection of useful resources:

Work with designers/developers from a wide variety of backgrounds

UX design is a field where you will find people with a wide range of knowledge from related disciplines and beyond. Take for example the program in which I study - we have students from the departments of computer science, data science, psychology, marketing, industrial design, literary media, animation, graphic design and more. Being able to work in a team and listen to others is an ability that becomes a key differentiator for a successful UX designer. I am happy that the university provides the opportunity to work together with talented students from a wide variety of fields - this is not to be missed. The more you work with people with backgrounds different from yours, the more perspectives open to you, and this path only leads to one result - you become better at UX design.

How to achieve this?

• Enroll in cross-curricular courses with other majors. They are especially good if they involve a collaborative project that lasts an entire semester. This will give you the opportunity to work closely with masters and graduate students of a different profile, who have a completely different perspective on the project.
• Take part in hackathons! I understand that most participants come with a specific team that they have already worked with and trust. However, I would suggest trying the unknown at least once! Create a team right at the event, with people you've never met before. In this process, you will learn to trust strangers, communicate effectively, and work together to solve a problem. Seriously, try it once and then share your impressions in the comments.

• What latest design trend do you find appealing?
• Why do you think it is popular?
• How does it affect the user experience?
• If you had a chance to correct this trend to make it even better, what would you do?
• How do you keep up with the latest design news and trends? What do you learn in the process and how do you apply new knowledge to your practice and approach?
• While working on [your portfolio project], what new tools did you learn to achieve better results? How is this tool different from others in our industry?

#2 Learn to do a critical design review

Why is it important?

Criticism can be comfortable

Google places great emphasis on facilitating effective collaboration. Google's Aristotle project took two years of research to understand how an ideal team works. The main key to its creation is psychological safety. Team members should feel comfortable voicing their opinions. It's worth accepting criticism as an integral part of a productive design process. I like this tweet from Adam Connor:

“Criticism is the basis of collaboration... Criticism is not a design skill. Criticism is the most important life skill,” -

Adam Connor, designer at MadPow.

An increasing number of teams around the world are making critical sessions a standard practice in the design process. It is invaluable to be able to criticize other people's projects and to digest and accept criticism addressed to you. It's worth practicing.

Questions to prepare for the interview:

• Were there any challenges you faced as a team while working on [your portfolio project]? What was the difficulty? What did you and your team members do in this situation? How was the situation resolved?
• Imagine you work at Google. One of the employees came and told you to change the color of the button to yellow. What will you do in this situation?
• What do you do to get feedback and get outside opinions on your projects? How do you analyze feedback? How do you take into account the feedback received?

More: Google UX Internship Application Process

• Google has a strict submission deadline. I would recommend applying early - this gives recruiters more time to get to know your profile and move on to the next stage.
• If your portfolio is selected, you'll be included in a pool of applicants that teams at Google looking to hire interns can choose from.
• Next, you wait for a letter inviting you to an interview. The number of interview rounds depends on the team.

Apple - UX designer

Needless to say, Apple is very selective when it comes to hiring design interns. You're unlikely to find intern positions on the site, but that doesn't mean Apple isn't looking for them. In my experience, the best way to get into the recruiting system is to attend Apple campus events and hand in your resume in person. It is through such events that an orderly recruitment process is carried out. Below I have described the aspects that the Apple team noted as the most important in my interview:

#1 Critical Thinking

The Apple team wanted to know everything from why I chose a design to the opacity percentage of a particular button. In the Research Methods course, I acquired the firm belief that:

Good design is based on good insights

How should I prepare?

• Document your project process. Record the basis for choosing a particular research method, what the group discussions led to and what the results of the data analysis were, what ideas you came to and why you prioritized in this way.
• Tell your friends who work in related fields about the project: UX designers, developers, product managers. Ask them to be brutal and give honest feedback on how you describe your project. Ask them if they understand the problem you were facing and if your solution seems appropriate to them, if the logic of each of your steps is accessible. Their honest response and possible criticism will help you prepare for the unexpected.

Questions for preparation:

• Why did you conduct this particular study? What did you learn from him? Why did you decide to include this particular user base in the study?
• How did you get from prototypes to the final design? Why did you use this particular design tool? How does it differ from others in the industry and why did you choose it?
• Were your hypotheses confirmed? What did you learn during the course of this song and after its release?

#2 Design Research

Designers at Apple have quite a lot of responsibility because they have complete control over their project. Despite having weekly statuses with other designers, you will still have to make most design decisions on your own. Therefore, during the interview, it is important to find out how much time and effort you devote to the problem, project and research before settling on a specific solution. Be sure to tell us about the research conducted during the project. This will show that you are thorough in finding a solution. Documenting the process will help a lot here.

Questions for preparation:

• Are you exploring non-technology solutions?
• What workflows have you learned to successfully meet the challenges of your project?
• How did you search and explore approaches and design options for a specific component on the page?

Additionally: Apple Internship Application Process.

• Attend an Apple campus recruiting event (even if it's not for your group) and talk to someone for the position you're interested in. Tell them you're very interested in the UX Design Intern position, offer to show them one of your portfolio projects, and of course, leave your resume.
• If any team is interested in you, you will receive an email from the recruiter with further instructions.
• You'll likely have two rounds of interviews with designers where you'll discuss your portfolio and design challenges in detail.

Salesforce - UX Designer

In 2017, Salesforce was ranked #4 on Fortune's "Best Places to Work for Millennials" and #8 overall. I interned there this summer on the Customer Experience Tools team as a UX designer and gained amazing new experience and knowledge. This is what they wanted from me during the interview:

#1 Self-motivation will help you gain broad knowledge about design

Salesforce's UX team has played a huge role in improving the user experience of the B2B products the company develops. It's amazing how cool this design team is in its segment (enterprise). I'm a big fan of the Lightning Design System. This tool really brings convenience, aesthetics to enterprise products and makes them accessible. Salesforce UX of course still has a number of aspects of the product where designers haven't had a chance to get their hands dirty. But they are constantly working on the product, expanding it, and it is for this reason that they look for designers who are happy to take the initiative in different projects. Designers who have broad skills in designing for web systems, mobile applications, data visualization, and more will be a natural addition to the company. There really is an opportunity to do different types of projects and it makes you flexible and teaches you a lot. I've been impressed by the company culture at Salesforce and I really feel like I belong Ohana(every Salesforce employee is a member of a family that is connected to others). I've met with many design teams this summer, and I've been pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness and mentorship I've encountered here.

Questions for preparation:

• What is your backstory and why did you choose to design?
• What did you work on during your design internships? What have you learned?
• What areas of design have you studied? How exactly did you research them? Tell us about projects in these areas?
• Tell us about one project from your portfolio and what conclusions and knowledge did you come to as a result?

Optional: Design Internship Application Process.

Interview with a Senior Designer on the CX Tools UX team - conversation focused on general knowledge about design and the details of your portfolio. CX Tools Team Manager Interview - This is where the focus is on finding out your skills to place you on a specific team and clarify your role within it.

Conclusion

I talked about the criteria for evaluating candidates during interviews at Google, Apple and Salesforce. I think they can be extended to many other companies. But again, UX is an ever-changing field, and the needs of the discipline itself and companies may change over time. So the best advice is to have a confident base, keep an eye on what's happening and adapt.

Thank you for your attention and good luck!

Some designers are more qualified than others. But an interview can completely change the team's perception of a candidate. Sometimes designers manage to present themselves in such a way that you immediately want to take them on to the team. And in other cases, the best candidates prepared their presentation so poorly that the team was simply left at a loss.

If you're interviewing for your dream startup, we highly recommend doing the following:

1. Organize your work

Pick a select few projects and be prepared to describe them thoroughly. This means moving beyond the visuals and towards the design process and decision making. Many startups will ask you to present your work. Be prepared to do this in front of the group. For each project, you must answer the following questions:

• What problems did you solve?
• How do you know you were solving the right problem?
• How have you collaborated with others?
• What was your success metric?
• Did this project succeed or fail in achieving its goals?
• What other ideas did you try to incorporate into the project?
• What did you learn from this project?

2. Do your research

You must be able to demonstrate knowledge about the startup and their industry. If you are asked to evaluate current products and development strategies, your answer should never be along the lines of "I don't know, I've never actually used your product." Also be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What interests you about this company?
• Why do you love their product?
• What opportunities does the product have for improvement?
• What inspires you about the company's mission?
• Why do you want to work there? What are you looking for in this job and what can you bring to the company?

3. Develop a career story

Companies want to see intentionality in your career. This allows the interlocutor to understand what you think about your own development. Here's what they ask during interviews:

• How long did you work for your previous companies and why did you leave?
• How do you think?
• What are you trying to achieve in your career?

4. Prepare questions

Companies often end interviews by giving you the opportunity to ask questions. What you ask can tell the interviewer about your thought process and level of intent. Here are some of the best questions you can ask:

• How can I best fit into your team?
• How does design work in your company now?
• How do you develop and nurture designers?
• What makes you move forward in the company?
• What will the world look like in 5 years if you guys achieve everything you want?

5. Develop relationships