From Stress to Spark: What I Learned from My Interview Journey
- Shreya Jain
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 6
When I first began preparing for design interviews, it was overwhelming. Building my portfolio felt like the hardest part, full of second-guessing, reworking, and wondering if I was doing it “right.” Every section of it felt like a statement, and every project needed to represent a version of me I hadn’t fully figured out yet.
But as I moved past that initial phase, something shifted. I started to genuinely enjoy the process, not just the outcome. Interviews turned into conversations. Assignments turned into challenges I wanted to crack for myself. I was no longer trying to “perform”, I was learning, exploring new sectors, and building clarity about the kind of work that energizes me.
🧩 Learning Through Assignments
Not all take-home assignments were great, let’s be real. Some felt mechanical or disconnected from real product thinking. But a few stood out. They challenged how I approached a problem, forced me to make tough design decisions, and gave me space to express my thought process more than just a polished UI.
I started noticing the kinds of tasks that excited me:
Assignments with open-ended exploration
Projects rooted in unfamiliar domains
Problems where clarity mattered more than cleverness
In hindsight, those were the moments I was really growing, not just as a designer, but as a thinker.
⚡ Walk-in at Oivi: A Shot of Startup Energy
One of the most memorable moments in this journey was a walk-in interview at a startup called Oivi. I had no expectation, I just showed up with curiosity. The moment I stepped in, I knew it wasn’t a typical setup. There were mockups of Oivi’s product scattered everywhere made of foam, clay, and paper. It felt like I had walked into a working lab, not an office. There was no fixed seating arrangement; the space was chaotic in the best way possible - full of energy, experimentation, and movement.
I gave my interview in a small room with the founder, who was warm and deeply passionate about the product. The design corner had just two people, both were incredibly thoughtful, sharp, and kind. Despite the compact setup, or maybe because of it, I could sense how much design mattered there.
Even though I didn’t end up working at Oivi, that experience stayed with me. It reminded me that environment matters, not just the work you do, but the people around you and the energy they bring. It’s one of the few interviews that left a lasting impression simply because it felt so human.
🧠 Testing the Challenge, Not Just Myself
One thing I came to love about the interview journey was the exposure it gave me to entirely new sectors. I was learning about different domains from healthcare to retail to agri-tech to fintech and discovering how many different kinds of products and problem spaces existed out there. Each conversation gave me a peek into a different world of design.
I used those interviews to ask questions I didn’t yet have answers to. I wasn’t just testing whether I fit, I was also testing whether the challenge fit me. And every conversation, whether successful or not, added something to my perspective.
💼 Landing at John Deere
The job at John Deere came to me at an unexpected moment, right in the final week of my notice period. I knew nothing about the company apart from the role title: Design System Designer. But something about it intrigued me. It was based in Pune, a city I hadn’t worked in before, and I was curious. The entire process moved fast - interviews, feedbacks, and even the assignment. The design task they gave me wasn’t conventional. It was random in the best way: refreshing, open-ended, and a little playful. It freed me to be creative, not just deliver.
I ended up choosing this role over a few other higher-paying offers. And I can say now, without hesitation that I’m glad I did. I’ve found a space that values flexibility, trust, and growth. The work-life balance here is real, not just a talking point. My colleagues are kind, sharp, and collaborative. And the kind of opportunities I’ve had to grow especially within design systems have been both challenging and rewarding.
Looking back, what felt like a lucky last-minute find turned out to be one of the best career decisions I’ve made.
✍️ Final Thoughts
Looking back, I realize the interview process wasn’t just a way to land a job, it was a mirror. It reflected where I was, what I cared about, and what I was ready to grow into.
If you’re in that stage right now — stressing over portfolios, preparing for interviews, facing rejections, I’ve been there. And while I can’t promise it gets easier overnight, I can tell you this: at some point, the stress can turn into spark. You’ll start learning, not just applying. Exploring, not just pitching. And you’ll come out of it with more clarity than you went in with.
Good luck if you’re on that path. It’s a wild, reflective, surprisingly rewarding ride.
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