Compare Design at Facebook/Google/Amazon
I'm interviewing at all three and am looking for additional perspectives. How do each of the companies approach design? How do they differ? Is there a personality or skill set that excels at one compared to another? If you work as a designer one of these companies, what motivates you to stay? Etc.
Amazon...? Run.
Amazon is garbage for designers
Yea amazon design? Seriously? Great company that famously doesn't give two shits about design. They hired Larry Tesler of Apple fame and said fu after they realized they don't care about design just data and ab testing. Just ask yourself where amazon's design blog is and if the company has ever been known for any sort of design innovation. Again fantastic company, but the company doesn't value design at all.
https://developer.amazon.com/designing-for-voice/design-process/
You can't be serious. That's an Alexa specific dev doc. Just look at that domain name. design.amazon.com doesn't even exist whereas every other company has a design.* domain name. Hell FB even has origami a design prototyping tool and google acquired design prototyping tools. They have entire design languages like material with their own fonts and font systems. Facebook developed pop and peek interactions and any number of micro interactions. At both of these places designers are heavily respected. There's a huge difference. Again, Amazon is great as a company, but it just doesn't value design. It's like asking if Goldman Sachs or Walmart are good at design. Both massive companies that are successful, but don't value design talent.
Designers are really well respected at fb. They approach design in a very practical way and tend to succeed if they have vocal personalities and are jacks of all trades.
Sounds like a well rounded skill set would be useful at fb. I've worked in UI, motion design, and have spent a year studying VR on the side. However, my CSS and JavaScript skills are pretty junior. Do you think there's a place for me there? Thanks.
Amazon highly values data driven design and makes sure customers purchase what they want with minimal friction. It simply works. The downfall of this? Well, too much effort is spent on increasing the metrics and the company is hesitant to dive deep into the full spectrum of design. Amazon does have well structured design teams with solid process, but not at the company wide level. But taking a step back from design, FB and Google will help you thrive with a less toxic work environment.
Amazon isn't in the same league as Google or FB when it comes to design culture.
Depends on the design group. Design at Amazon is very decentralized. Some groups are pretty legit. Others not so much. Design culture here is improving overall.
Personal opinion: 1. Facebook 2. Google 3. Amazon Reason? Design has been core to FB since the beginning. Google only in the past years with the rise of Material design. Amazon only cares about MVP that makes money.
Honestly none of these companies execute good design. None.
Don't Facebook and google both have entire websites dedicated to design? Probably start by reading those.