Redesigning the design interview
How candidates and businesses can find the right "fit" by rethinking hiring practices from first principles
Lessons Learned From..
5 -> 55 people
Discuss.io
~2.5k, after acquisition: ~30k
Pivotal Labs
50 -> ~500 people
Chipper
11, early stage
Stemma.ai
numbers above = growth during tenure
Agenda
An Initial Redesign
Updating our practices while growing
Q&A / Conversation
Let's chat about these ideas
Looking ahead
AI, Economic Downturn, etc.
The way we do design hiring today is broken
The standard interview loop
This process can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 12!
What's wrong with this picture?
What's wrong with this picture?
It's...
Inequitable
What's wrong with this picture?
It's...
Inequitable
Disrespectful
What's wrong with this picture?
It's...
Inequitable
Disrespectful
Focused on the wrong things
Why do we do this to each other?
Our hiring principles
Avoiding misalignment
Evaluating design process foundations
Filling gaps in our team
What we tried...
How might we create a more equitable hiring process that respects candidates’ time while ensuring that we hire designers with the skills, values and interests needed for the roles we're trying to fill?
Portfolio presentations for visual design roles only
Portfolio presentations for visual design roles only
No screening on years of experience
Convincing the Talent* team
*Recruiting/HR/etc.
What we tried...
How might we create a more equitable hiring process that respects candidates’ time while ensuring that we hire designers with the skills, values and interests needed for the roles we're trying to fill?
The "hiring manager" interview
Visual Design Prompt
Show me one project that stands out to you as your best work. Feel free to skip the process, if that's not relevant. There will be a more formal portfolio review in the full-day interview.
The "hiring manager" interview
Other Design Roles
Please share one or two projects that you think demonstrate your understanding of research, design and collaboration. You can show these if you want, or speak to them.
The "hiring manager" interview
What's the point?
What we tried...
Portfolio reviews for Visual Design roles only
What we tried...
Replacing "homework" with "together work"
What we tried...
For senior roles, there were only two additional interviews
What we learned
What do you think?
Up next: Looking ahead
(AI, Economic Downturn, etc.)
Looking ahead
AI killed the portfolio star
Example Site: https://uxpa2023-example.framer.ai/
AI killed the portfolio star
The Magnet of Mediocrity
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
The Magnet of Mediocrity
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
The Magnet of Mediocrity
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
The Magnet of Mediocrity
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
The Magnet of Mediocrity
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
So we are left with a landscape where only two tiers of skill exist
Source: Prakhar Mehrotra
