Identifying Red Flag Design Challenges đźš©
How to spot bogus design challenges and know whether their worth your time.
Design challenges are not uncommon when interviewing for a design position, and for the most part, I understand why they do it. However, if those challenges are given to solve current company problems, it’s often a sign of a red flag. 🚩
What To Watch Out For
[Check One] Are They Making You Solve For a Current Problem In their company?
When a company sets a design challenge that involves a current problem within the company, it may sound smart from the business’s side to get fresh ideas whilst also seeing the potential of new designers and their creative expertise.
However, asking a designer to solve a problem present in your company without compensation is effectively requesting free labour from their creative intellect.
This is especially true if they are only offering the opportunity to progress to another interview stage, with every possibility of taking the idea and ghosting the designer.
[Check Two] What Are Their Time Frames
Most design challenges have a time frame of two to four hours, but are given a week to complete. However, if you have ever done a design challenge, you would know that they often take longer, sometimes even days rather than hours.
The expectation for producing a detailed, high-level design and research within a two to four hour timeframe is unrealistic unless you want disappoint the interviewers.
Make sure to check their time frames for the challenge. This sets a precedent for what their expectations are for you and how quickly they expect you to do the work.
[Check Three] How Are They Judging Your Design
Are you presenting your work or handing it off in a neat folder for them to take their glorious time to take apart and take ideas from?
If the company expects you to take days to complete a task, but doesn’t give you the opportunity to discuss and explain your work in person, that is enough reason to run the other direction.
In a healthy company, there should be no scenario in which you are required to create work without having the opportunity to discuss and explain decisions. Why should your design challenge be any different?
[Check Four] What Is Your Handoff
Similarly to the point above, in a healthy company the hand off shouldn't be overlooked.
Handing off your design in a complete folder is just another easy way for a company to take your work and run. Make sure you check how they can access your work and put in some safeguarding in place.
I know this might sound extreme, but there’s nothing funny about someone taking an idea and the work that you put so much effort into. Believe me, I’ve been in that position before.
[Check Five] Will They Give Feedback
Similarly to the points above, in a healthy company feedback is a fantastic thing and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Giving feedback is something that should be practiced throughout interview stages and during employment. It’s the best way to grow and learn. This puts into context of what kind of company you’re interviewing with and how they value feedback and growth.
Design challenges serve as an opportunity for designers to showcase their skills within a defined timeframe. To ensure unbiased and transparency in this process, it’s best to assign a creative task that isn’t directly tied to the company’s specific concerns. This approach allows the designer to effectively demonstrate their creative process and present a polished final design.
Bonus points to the company if they compensate you for your time. It’s not just a gesture of appreciation; it’s a fundamental display of respect for their profession.
As someone who has been through the good, bad and ugly of design challenges, I earnestly recommend these principles to both companies and fellow designers. When working with designers, it’s vital to adhere to ethical practices, valuing their time and expertise even through the hiring process.
Advice Time
My advice to companies offering design challenges is to create challenges that touch on the designers’ personal interests while also requiring them to identify problems and find adequate solutions.
This way designers can be challenged without the fear of their creative intellectual property being taken unfairly with no guarantee and the company being able to see the designer's potential with no hidden agendas.
Story Time
Recalling a past experience, I remember a time when I was a young and naive designer. I was interviewing for a junior position as a graphic designer, and my design challenge was to create a logo and brand for a small cleaning company.
In hindsight, I realised that I should have stopped after the first round of feedback and iteration. However, I persisted and ended up revising my designs six times with the agency. Unfortunately, after months of silence, I discovered that my designs were being used on flyers and a website for a small cleaning company in my area and, evidently, I did not get the position.
Experiences like the one I had can take a toll on young designers. It took me months to come to terms with what happened, and it even made me question my abilities and skills. Fortunately, I was surrounded by enough decent people who were also designers and reassured me that it wasn’t my fault. That was the moment I realised that there are actually bad companies out there. I wish I could say that I’ve had other experiences that shattered this belief, but life is full of curveballs.
Design challenges during the interview process can be a red flag if they involve solving current company problems without compensation. Check the time frames, how they judge your design, and the handoff process.
Companies should create challenges that touch on designers’ interests while requiring them to identify problems and find solutions. It’s important to adhere to ethical practices and value designers’ time and expertise during the hiring process.
These checks are just a few reminders for designers going through this process. They may not always apply, but it’s something to keep in mind as you progress through interviews. Good luck!
