- User First: Do they describe who the user is first and ground you in the problem? Do they speak about how the user has guided specific decision throughout the process (design principles, etc…)? Research conducted?
- Craftsmanship: Did the designer sweat over all the details, both big and small, of the end-to-end product? Is there a sense that the final product is well-made?
- Interaction design: Is the design thoughtful and clear for how this product works? Does the designer have a good grasp of common patterns and interactions?
- Product thinking: Do they outline success metrics upfront? Did they frame the results around the success metrics? Did they speak to and understand the business outcomes?
- Collaborative Process: Did they demonstrate involving others in their design process? Workshops? Reviews? Stakeholder Interviews? Pairing with dev?
- Storytelling: Did they break down the problem so that it was easy to understand? Do the story flow well from definition to outcomes?
Is there a clear understanding how the solution fits into a wider experience? *Examples: awareness of how other users impact that core user, how the service influences the experience,
Communication Skills Look for: ability to tell compelling stories to add the necessary depth to their work and that they have the ability to work through communication challenges.
Intentionality Look for: every design decision has an explanation.
Proactive (Self-starter) & Passionate Look for: always uncovering problems that they’re wonder why they haven’t been solved yet and then they attempt to solve them.
Humble & Collaborative Look for: extreme desire to be inclusive and acknowledgement that they don’t have all the best ideas.
Creative Spark Look for: high motivation and passion to leverage design thinking throughout their life