[ID Discuss] Guidance for someone interested in your field

[Julie Stanford]

I have to say that I agree and disagree a bit with Josh. I like to do tests
in interviews as well but I also like to review portfolios. In particular I
like to ask a lot of questions to understand reasoning for design decisions.
It also shows the quality of deliverables and the candidate's style for
discussing designs -- a skill that they will need to have on client work. On
many occasions, I have also seen things in screen designs portfolios. that I
think are particularly examples of bad designs. On those occasions, I like
to ask questions to understand the thinking behind the design decision -- if
it was something that was designed by a team and the individual thinks it's
a bad idea, this is an opportunity for a discussion of what they did vs.
what someone else did vs. what the client wanted (another source for bad
design). Or, alternatively they might think it is a good idea and try to
explain why. On numerous occasions, this discussion has lead to better
understanding of an individual's interaction design abilities. 

-- Julie Stanford



-----Original Message-----
From:
discuss-interactiondesigners.com-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com
[mailto:discuss-interactiondesigners.com-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.
com] On Behalf Of Joshua Seiden
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2004 8:01 AM
To: 'Dan Saffer'; 'David Heller'
Cc: discuss-interactiondesigners.com at lists.interactiondesigners.com
Subject: RE: [ID Discuss] Guidance for someone interested in your field

For what it's worth, I rarely look at portfolios when
hiring interaction designers. I find portfolios next to
useless, because they don't demonstrate the skills I'm
looking for. 

1. If the portfolio consists of interactive demos, it
is difficult to tell which part the candidate worked
on. (Interactive products are rarely solo efforts, and
even if they are, how can I tell that as an evaluator?)

2. If it consists of shipping products, the same
problem exists, but is compounded.

3. If the portfolio consists of static screen shots, it
does not represent the behavior of the system, which is
what interests me.

4. If the portfolio consists of static specification
documents (rare, as these are mostly confidential) then
it is likely too detailed for my needs as a hiring
manager.

I much prefer to evaluate a series of tests. By looking
at tests, (both at take-home and in-interview) I can
get a better sense of the candidate's skills and
approach. This isn't my strategy, I learned it at
Cooper, but I have yet to see one that better predicts
the ability of a candidate to do the job for which
he/she is being considered.

This strategy has advantages for the candidate as
well--it's difficult to build a portfolio of
interaction design. Tests give candidates the ability
to demonstrate what they can do in a much more direct
manner.

JS

> Dave, you hire people for these sorts of jobs. Would
you ever 
> consider 
> someone without a portfolio now?
> 
> I've yet to go on a job interview for a design job
where they don't 
> want to see one.
> 
> Dan


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