Very inconsiderate! After I applied, the founder reached out to me on LinkedIn to move me to the next step. I was tasked me with a take home design challenge (48 hours to complete) and promptly ghosted me after I turned it in. I reached out multiple times through e-mail and LinkedIn with no response. So disrespectful to see the same founder who I was in contact with actively posting on LinkedIn while ignoring my messages. I can't help but feel like they were just mining applicants for design ideas with no intention of actually hiring.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design challenge to create a mobile public transit app.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Studio.init() (Seattle, WA) in Mar 2025
Interview
The company was very exploitative of its applicants. The application description specified the hiring process as including a 1-day design challenge. However, I received a 2-day design challenge with a large scope, very relevant to the company's work. It seemed that the company was just using intern applicants to help them with their day-to-day tasks.
They rejected me after I spent 2 days on the challenge, and they gave no feedbacks.
The company also left me a very bad impression because it seemed that they required interns to go to the Seattle office on a weekly basis, while the design lead was located elsewhere. A closer look into the leadership team in the company revealed that many of them are running this company part-time.
DO NOT APPLY
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me to do a 2-day design challenge; the deliverables included user persona, user flows, vibrant color palette, hi-fidelity screens, and a documentation / pre-recorded presentation. They especially emphasized that this should be completed ASAP. There was no compensation.