Totally agree with Lee, I’ll add - the trouble with all interview techniques seems to be that they aren’t a realistic litmus for how well somebody can do the job.
No matter what the format, it’s always a bit of a punt - some people will interview well and perform well in the role, yet others will interview just as well and perform poorly. It could be them, it could be you, it could be the company and all round dynamic. (It doesn’t help that every ‘product designer’ role is interpreted differently at every company!)
Even if somebody is extremely good at their job they might not perform for you - think about a major sports star who has changed teams and not been able to replicate their previous form at their new club. Did they suddenly get bad at their sport?
Whiteboard ‘challenges’
I just don’t understand these at all. What is it supposed to measure? How good somebody is at getting up in front of a group of strangers and doing some fictional work on a whiteboard? Is this how you design in your actual job? I hope not!
Take home ‘challenges’
Little bit insulting if you have any experience and/or a portfolio. It’s supposed to show your ‘process’ I guess. But what does that mean? Why doesn’t your portfolio show your process? And as everybody is just going say they do Lean UX/design thinking/design sprints/UCD etc are you really learning anything?
Taking it one step further, your process will largely be determined by the organisation you work for, the time and resources you have at your disposal and the deadlines you have to meet. And er, despite what the conference gurus tell you, results are obviously more important than process.
As Lee says, look through a portfolio, have a chat for an hour or so and you should be able to make a decent judgment. But you will never achieve certainty and it will always be a bit of a gamble.
Totally agree with Lee, I’ll add - the trouble with all interview techniques seems to be that they aren’t a realistic litmus for how well somebody can do the job.
No matter what the format, it’s always a bit of a punt - some people will interview well and perform well in the role, yet others will interview just as well and perform poorly. It could be them, it could be you, it could be the company and all round dynamic. (It doesn’t help that every ‘product designer’ role is interpreted differently at every company!)
Even if somebody is extremely good at their job they might not perform for you - think about a major sports star who has changed teams and not been able to replicate their previous form at their new club. Did they suddenly get bad at their sport?
Whiteboard ‘challenges’
I just don’t understand these at all. What is it supposed to measure? How good somebody is at getting up in front of a group of strangers and doing some fictional work on a whiteboard? Is this how you design in your actual job? I hope not!
Take home ‘challenges’
Little bit insulting if you have any experience and/or a portfolio. It’s supposed to show your ‘process’ I guess. But what does that mean? Why doesn’t your portfolio show your process? And as everybody is just going say they do Lean UX/design thinking/design sprints/UCD etc are you really learning anything?
Taking it one step further, your process will largely be determined by the organisation you work for, the time and resources you have at your disposal and the deadlines you have to meet. And er, despite what the conference gurus tell you, results are obviously more important than process.
As Lee says, look through a portfolio, have a chat for an hour or so and you should be able to make a decent judgment. But you will never achieve certainty and it will always be a bit of a gamble.