Ux/product design interviews advice

IBM / Design
dsgn1

Go to company page IBM Design

dsgn1
Feb 18 15 Comments

I’ve noticed after 10+ interviews and portfolio reviews that companies care more about visual design than UX. I’ve had no luck landing a job because my work is tied to IBM’s design system . Even though , I have complex interaction and UX case studies that show my process and business results . Is this normal ? #design #ui/ux #interviews

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TOP 15 Comments
  • Amazon
    vccxxd

    Go to company page Amazon

    vccxxd
    Visual design is not that hard. This sounds like you’re complaining about a basic skill requirement and quality of craft that any hiring manager would expect for a mid or senior level designer.

    Spend some time cleaning up your portfolio projects with better visual design. This includes any and all artifacts presented, like diagrams, flows, slides, wireframes
    Feb 19 2
    • IBM / Design
      dsgn1

      Go to company page IBM Design

      dsgn1
      OP
      Maybe I failed to mention that the companies I’ve interviews for don’t seem to like the “visual design “ of my UX projects because they’re tied to a design system like carbon .. my designs are polished ..
      Feb 19
    • Amazon
      lkjhhq

      Go to company page Amazon

      lkjhhq
      Those companies must be startups? Can’t imagine a big tech company that thinks Carbon is not visual design. There is a chance your presentation itself was not giving them much confidence. DM portfolio, can take look and provide feedback
      Feb 19
  • MemSQL / Biz Dev
    tektz98

    Go to company page MemSQL Biz Dev

    tektz98
    IBM’s Carbon Design System is pretty solid. What are you talking about?
    Feb 18 2
    • IBM / Design
      dsgn1

      Go to company page IBM Design

      dsgn1
      OP
      I agree , I never said it wasn’t . What I’ve noticed is that the companies I’ve interviewed at and showcased my work wanted to see more “visual design “ work not related to carbon .
      Feb 18
    • MemSQL / Biz Dev
      tektz98

      Go to company page MemSQL Biz Dev

      tektz98
      The best you can do is do some side project or freelance to prove you can handle situations outside of an established system.
      Feb 18
  • New
    SrUt12

    New

    SrUt12
    Yes, and it sucks. I suggest you look at companies that have UXers actively blogging, tweeting, etc about UX work so you know it’s valued. Really the best way to get into a good team is through networking, so work on that too through industry groups. It’s harder now, but still doable.

    I’m not sure what you mean about your work being tied to IBM’s system, but get to know Figma and other current tools if that’s the issue. Reproduce an old project to practice.

    I also really dislike the overemphasis on visual design in some roles. But the nice thing is there are so many intersecting planes to UX (research, visual, accessibility, usability, content strategy/ia, ui, product strategy), that every role is going to be a bit different and you can move along any of those planes to a different role.
    Feb 18 2
    • IBM / Design
      dsgn1

      Go to company page IBM Design

      dsgn1
      OP
      Thanks ! That’s some good advice . I haven’t networked in a while but that can be a good way in .

      So I started my career as a ux designer at ibm , so all my work and case studies are using the carbon design system and my “visual design “ looks all the same and that’s where most of my feedback from portfolios mention that they want to see more visual design outside of the carbon design system .

      I guess some companies , when they look for product designers they really want a ux and visual design person . It seems that’s where the difference is in ux and product design job descriptions
      Feb 18
    • Microsoft
      gify

      Go to company page Microsoft

      PRE
      Salesforce
      gify
      Hey OP! Agree it's super frustrating but I think hiring managers indexing on visuals is just unavoidable. It's just the attractiveness bias manifesting itself.

      BUT If you play the game and post things like "Daily UI" challenges to dribbble, you can use that bias to your advantage.

      ( Might be helpful especially in your case since you could show work outside of IBMs design systems)
      Feb 21
  • New
    helloy

    New

    helloy
    I think it depends on the co. What kind of companies are you interviewing for?
    Feb 19 2
  • Slalom Consulting / Design
    🥸◾️

    Go to company page Slalom Consulting Design

    🥸◾️
    Any role labeled Product Designer will need to have a good visual portfolio. If you’re less visual, UX Designer roles typically care less about polished visuals and more about strategy behind the end product.

    The earlier stage the company is, the more they will want someone who’s a great visual designer.
    Feb 20 0