Things I look for when hiring a new designer

People often ask me what I look for when hiring designers, especially for small teams like ours. Over the years this has turned into a rough checklist, the one I share with my team leads before they start interviewing:[^1] They must fit into the team. This is probably the most important requirement. It doesn't matter how skilled someone is if you don't enjoy working with them. They must be sharp and proactive. It's important that they understand things quickly and can work on their tasks without micro-management. They must love apps and products. And enjoy tinkering with them. They must be proud of their designs. Excited when showing and discussing their work but, at the same time, open to feedback. They must be able to defend their designs with valid arguments. "Because I liked it" is (in most cases) not enough. I appreciate opinionated design, but it requires strong reasoning. They must have good taste. Training skills is much easier than developing taste. Lastly, it's better if…