Snap's Design Chief Looks Beyond Degrees for Creative Thinkers

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Imani Ritchards, the director of product design at Snap, the company behind Snapchat, says she cares more about a candidate's creativity and portfolio than their formal design degree when hiring. Ritchards looks for an "openness to take creative risks" and the ability to build and test ideas, even if the candidate's technical skills need some polishing.

Why it matters

As AI tools make it easier for anyone to build functional apps, Ritchards believes the key to great user experience design is having strong creative ideas, not just technical skills. Her hiring approach reflects the changing nature of product design, where the ability to ideate and test concepts is becoming more valuable than a traditional design education.

The details

Ritchards shared that she recently interviewed a chemical engineering major who didn't have a design degree but had built and tested their own app ideas. She says she cares more about candidates having a portfolio of work to demonstrate their creativity than formal credentials. Ritchards also notes that while technical skills can be learned on the job, "it's so hard to train someone to have good ideas." When evaluating candidates, she asks questions about their motivations and the problems they're trying to solve, not just the tools they used.

• Ritchards interviewed the chemical engineering major just hours before speaking with Business Insider.

What they’re saying