Week 1: get your design foundations in shape

Everything later in the interview rests on fundamentals. You will not be quizzed on definitions, but your answers will show whether you have them. This week is about being fluent, not impressive.

Research and problem framing

Practise turning a vague request into a clear question: who is struggling, with what, and how would we know it was better? Take any app you use and write the problem it solves in two sentences. If you cannot, you have found a gap to close.

Know the everyday methods well enough to say when you would pick each: interviews to learn why, usability tests to see where people get stuck, surveys to size something you already understand.

Journeys and information architecture

Sketch the journey for a task, step by step, marking where people hesitate or give up. Then look at the structure behind it: what are the main areas, what is grouped together, what do people call things? Being able to explain why a menu is organised the way it is is a common interview moment.

Wireframes and usability principles

Wireframe a screen in ten minutes using nothing but boxes and labels. The goal is to show your thinking about hierarchy and the next action, not polish. Keep a handful of principles ready and tie each to an example: visibility of status, consistency, error prevention, recognition over recall.

Accessibility basics

Be ready to speak about contrast, text size, keyboard use, focus order, labels and not relying on colour alone. One concrete story of something you changed for accessibility is worth more than a list.

Check yourself

By Sunday you should be able to explain, without notes, how you would take an unclear brief from question to first sketch.