You’ve come to the last stages of an interview. There’s only one thing left to do: the dreaded take home design assignment.

您已经到达面试的最后阶段。 只剩下一件事要做： 可怕的带回家的设计任务。

This is the hard part of any interview process, but many employers require it for product design roles. The intent behind these assignments is to see how you think and to verify your skills as a designer.

这是任何面试过程中的难点，但许多雇主都要求产品设计角色。 这些任务的目的是了解您的想法并验证您作为设计师的技能。

To provide context on how to do a take-home assignment, I’m going to break down one that I recently completed.

为了提供有关如何完成实地任务的背景信息，我将分解最近完成的任务。

Spoiler alert: I didn’t get the job.

剧透警报： 我没有得到这份工作。

They said my presentation was amazing, but a candidate with more relevant and specific experience came through the pipeline and beat me to it.

他们说我的演讲很棒，但是有更多相关和特定经验的候选人通过了渠道，击败了我。

That said, I’ve picked up a thing or two about what to do (and what not to do).

就是说，我已经了解了要做什么(不做什么)的一两件事。

阅读说明书 (Read the instructions)

This should go without saying, but keep instructions close by. Read them, then read them again. The last thing you want to do is misread something and let that derail your entire presentation before you even start.

这应该不言而喻，但是要紧紧说明。 阅读它们，然后再次阅读。 您要做的最后一件事是误读某些内容，并在开始之前就使整个演示文稿脱轨。

I kick off the presentation with a recap of the assignment. This provides context for your presentation, and gives insight to others if the PDF gets passed around internally (which it probably will).

我以演讲的总结开始演讲。 这为您的演示文稿提供了上下文，并且在PDF内部传递时(可能会)向其他人提供了见解。

了解问题 (Understand the problem)

To properly design a solution, you need to wrap your head around the problem. Here’s how I like to do this:

要正确设计解决方案，您需要全神贯注地解决问题。 这是我喜欢的方式：

• Write a summary statement

  撰写总结声明

• Highlight key issues in the statement

  突出陈述中的关键问题

• Create sub points that provide greater clarity

  创建子点以提供更高的清晰度

• Summarize the findings with a TL;DR statement

  用TL; DR语句总结调查结果

Identifying the problem prepares you to dig into solutions without losing focus.

确定问题可以使您在不失去关注的情况下深入研究解决方案。

This shows the interviewer your design approach is measured and thoughtful. You don’t push pixels, you solve problems.

这表明面试官您的设计方法是经过仔细考虑的。 您不推像素，可以解决问题。

找出可行的解决方案 (Identify a viable solution)

With a clear problem you can present a clear solution. Take time. Identify multiple potential solutions. If possible, talk through these solutions with a few people who may use the product or design.

有了明确的问题，您可以提出明确的解决方案。 慢慢来。 确定多种潜在的解决方案。 如果可能，请与可能使用该产品或设计的一些人员讨论这些解决方案。

Select a solution, and write it down. I write a high level solution statement followed by a tactical description of the design.

选择一个解决方案，并写下来。 我写了一个高级解决方案声明，然后是该设计的战术描述。

By showing the solution and expected results you demonstrate the ability to solve problems while thinking about the customer. This will set you apart.

通过显示解决方案和预期结果，您可以展示在思考客户的同时解决问题的能力。 这会让您与众不同。

展示如何衡量成功 (Show how you will measure success)

You have a problem and a solution. How will you know if your solution worked? Great designers think about how solutions will be measured. Here’s how I do this:

您有问题和解决方案。 您怎么知道您的解决方案是否有效？ 优秀的设计师考虑如何衡量解决方案。 这是我的操作方式：

• Map success metrics back to parts of your proposed solution

  将成功指标映射回建议的解决方案的各个部分

• Include qualitative and quantitative metrics

  包括定性和定量指标

• Keep it simple

  把事情简单化

If you aren’t familiar:

如果您不熟悉：

• Qualitative metrics rely on non-numerical data (ex #2 Trust)

  定性指标依赖于非数值数据(例如＃2 Trust)

• Quantitative metrics rely on numerical data (ex #4 Accountability).

  定量指标依赖于数字数据(例如，＃4问责制)。

Don’t go overboard on analytics tracking, etc. However, be ready to talk about how you use data to drive design decisions. Part of this is the tools (Tableau, Google Analytics, etc) the other part is understanding how to collaborate with product managers, data scientists and developers to understand and drive proper decision making.

不要在分析跟踪等方面投入过多。但是，准备好谈论如何使用数据来推动设计决策。 其中一部分是工具(Tableau，Google Analytics(分析)等)，另一部分是了解如何与产品经理，数据科学家和开发人员合作，以了解和推动正确的决策。

记录您的过程 (Document your process)

Great designers have processes. If you are presenting a product design solution, I recommend that you show (or at least mention) the following:

优秀的设计师具有流程。 如果您要介绍产品设计解决方案，建议您显示(或至少提及)以下内容：

• Information Architecture

  信息架构

• User Experience

  用户体验

• User Interface

  用户界面

• Design System

  设计系统

• Prototypes

  样机

If you only show UI and Prototypes, your solution will not seem thought-through, and you will come across as a poor UX designer.

如果仅显示UI和原型，则您的解决方案似乎不会经过深思熟虑，并且您会遇到一个糟糕的UX设计器。

If you are process-heavy but do not show beautiful design and thoughtful UI, they may question your visual design capabilities.

如果您的工作量很大，但没有显示出精美的设计和周到的UI，他们可能会质疑您的视觉设计能力。

Don’t go overboard on process. No one wants a 50-page book on why you built an onboarding flow. Show your work is thoughtful. Demonstrate your ability to excel in every part of the design process.

不要过分着急。 没有人想要一本长达50页的书来介绍为什么您要建立入职流程。 表明你的工作是周到的。 证明您在设计过程的每个部分都具有出色的能力。

制作精美的视觉效果 (Make beautiful visuals)

You have thought through everything, now it’s time to start creating the visuals. If you don’t know where to start, use a UI kit.

您已经仔细考虑了所有内容，现在该开始创建视觉效果了。 如果您不知道从哪里开始，请使用UI工具包。

If the assignment is internal facing and not intended to be used widely, it’s okay to use reference illustration or photography work. Give credit where credit is due.

如果作业是面向内部的并且不打算广泛使用，则可以使用参考插图或摄影作品。 在信用到期的地方给予信用。

Excellent visual design is a good way to stand out during the design assessment. Make sure you aren’t compromising UX with the visual decisions you make.

出色的视觉设计是在设计评估中脱颖而出的好方法。 确保您所做的视觉决策不会影响UX。

Most companies hiring product designers have design systems. It is quite possible you will never need to flex your visual design muscles on a day-to-day basis. Great visual design still matters. When you need to present work or pitch a new product initiative, the aesthetics have the potential to inspire.

大多数雇用产品设计师的公司都有设计系统。 您很有可能永远不需要在日常工作中发挥视觉设计的力量。 出色的视觉设计仍然很重要。 当您需要展示作品或提出新产品动议时，美学可能会激发灵感。

超越 (Go above and beyond)

Go beyond the brief. I am not saying you should ignore the instructions that you received. Follow those instructions carefully. At the same time, include something extra to show your passion and skill.

超越简要。 我并不是说您应该忽略收到的指示。 请仔细按照这些说明进行操作。 同时，添加一些额外的东西来表达您的热情和技巧。

In the design assignment I have been showing, I included an extra slide for brand identity. This shows my intentionality, visual design skills, and a genuine interest in the presentation I put together.

在我一直展示的设计任务中，我包括了一张额外的幻灯片，以了解品牌形象。 这显示了我的意图，视觉设计技巧以及对我整理的演示文稿的真正兴趣。

Don’t overdo this. I spent less than 5% of my time on the branding portion.

不要过分。 我在品牌部分上花费的时间不到5％。

您能做的就是最好的 (All you can do is your best)

Remember that the decision is ultimately out of your control. Try your best. If they don’t end up hiring you, here are some potential reasons why:

请记住，该决定最终将超出您的控制范围。 尽你所能。 如果他们最终不雇用您，则有以下一些潜在原因：

• Someone better came along最好有人来
• You’re too UX or UI focused您过于注重UX或UI
• Your work was too good (yes this can happen)您的工作太好了(是的，可能会发生)
• The business froze hiring企业冻结招聘

I’ve failed in many design presentations. When you fail, can feel sorry for yourself or you can learn from your mistakes.

我在许多设计演示中都失败了。 当您失败时，可以为自己感到难过，或者您可以从错误中学习。

Take the time to feel the sadness and frustration, then dust yourself off and get ready for the next one. It gets better.

花些时间去感受悲伤和沮丧，然后尘埃落定，为下一个做好准备。 它变得更好了。

I’m a multidisciplinary creative currently designing product for Square. To see my product design work, follow me on Dribbble. Have interview experiences to share? Let me know in the responses.

我是一个多学科创意人员，目前正在为Square设计产品。 要查看我的产品设计工作，请在 Dribbble 上关注我 。 有面试经验可以分享吗？ 在答复中让我知道。