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Designing My Design Philosophy: A 10-Year Case Study
When I interview designers during the hiring process, I ask them a number of questions but only one I really hone in on:
I always ask it at the end, almost as an afterthought, “Oh, by the way … almost forgot to ask …”
“What’s your design philosophy?”
I always ask in this “throwaway” fashion because I don’t want a canned response. I want a genuine, from-the-gut answer.
I’ve asked this question more times than I can count in interviews (and talking with designers in general) because I believe it reveals so much about where a designer is in their career.
Sometimes, I’ll get the “Oh wow … no one’s ever asked me that before.” That’s usually a prelude to a pause as the designer thinks something up on the spot (which in itself is revealing).
Usually, I’ll get something fairly typical, with the phrases you’d expect: “human-centered,” “empathize with users,” “deliver amazing experiences,” “surprise and delight,” “uncover user needs,” “being inclusive” and so forth.
Junior designers seem to show a tendency to pile on jargon when asked. Senior designers, perhaps reflective of their confidence level, generally deliver shorter responses.
