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How to succeed at design interviews
- Landing a role in the competitive field of product design often comes down to the interview. Therefore, it's essential to communicate your value and experience effectively. In this post, Staff Product Designer Meghan Logan outlines 5 stages of the interview process, including the recruiter screen, whiteboard challenge, and portfolio review, and how to excel during each one with tips from leaders at Meta, Airbnb, and Mixpanel. Preparation, communication, storytelling, collaboration, and emphasizing business goals are critical to success. Logan also created the Product Design Interview Playbook, which offers comprehensive guidance and actionable strategies.
- In the recruiter screen, research the company thoroughly and align its values with your personal motivations. During the whiteboard challenge, assess your product sense, critical thinking, and collaboration in real time by talking through your problem-solving process out loud. For the most critical part of the interview, the portfolio review, present 1-3 case studies in individual decks for each one and present them as a compelling story.
- Designers often make the mistake of not researching the company thoroughly before the interview. Make sure to tailor your portfolio to match the company’s needs, indicating your design thinking is in line with the company's vision. As you structure your case studies, focus on your thought process, solutions, and related design decisions.
- Communicating your design decisions effectively is crucial during interviews. You must demonstrate your ability to think critically and solve problems through your design and explain why you designed that way. Employers want to observe how you collaborate with cross-functional teams and whether you accept constructive feedback openly.
- One common pitfall of interviews is when designers focus on their aesthetics and personal preferences instead of user needs and business objectives. Companies seek to find a balance between solving user’s problems and meeting business goals, so always bring the offer of taking a balanced approach.
- Apart from providing tips on how to prepare for each stage of the interview, Logan also created the Product Design Interview Playbook, which is a comprehensive guide to design interview success. The playbook dives deeper into crafting portfolio case studies, mastering whiteboard or live design challenges during interviews, and presenting oneself as the best candidate.
- Meghan Logan’s free Product Design Interview Playbook offers actionable insights to navigate the design interview process and succeed in landing a role in the competitive field. The Playbook and Meghan Logan's Course are great resources to refine your approach and showcase your unique strengths.
- Hiring managers want to see how you handle feedback, and a willingness to collaborate with all the teams within the organization shows your flexibility and adaptability. If you think about your design decisions is a critical skill for any product designer.
- The biggest mistake designers can make is failing to tell a story. Case studies presented as steps make for a terribly boring and undifferentiated portfolio. Your portfolio should focus on the “why” behind your design decisions. Creating a PowerPoint slide deck for your portfolio review is a great way to execute your showcase.
- In summary: Research the company thoroughly, focus on the why of your design decisions, communicate your design thinking and accept feedback positively, showcase how you have collaborated with teams in the past, and present your challenges and failures transparently.
- The Product Design Interview Playbook by Meghan Logan dives deeper into mastering the interview process and provides actionable strategies to excel during every stage of the interview. Mastering every step, especially the whiteboard challenge and the portfolio review, is crucial for product design success.
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