
That isn’t to say companies can never test design candidates. I had one interview where, at the end of the meeting, the hiring manager handed me a hypothetical design problem (complete with discovery materials — personas and business requirements) and a pencil and paper and asked me how I would begin to solve this problem. The exercise took 20 minutes. I didn’t have to re-create an entire application on my own time but was still able to engage in an exercise that helped the hiring manager see how I might approach a problem. I found the experience refreshing and fun and later told that to the company. An approach like that…