Тебя не берут в продукт из-за этого (и это не опыт)

Summary

Ilya Sidorenko argues that designers who send many applications but get few interviews should first examine their portfolios—not assume the job market or job platform is the problem. Product companies evaluate how candidates understand user and business problems, conduct research, form and test hypotheses, and explain design decisions. Polished screens alone are not enough.

Recommended product-design process

1. Define the user’s task. Clarify the specific problem the interface should solve. The business may define it, or the designer may need to uncover it through research.
2. Research the audience. Understand how users currently complete the task, what works, and where they encounter friction.
3. Analyze competitors for solutions, not visual references. Review direct and indirect competitors to find approaches that could make the task easier. Focus on useful design patterns rather than copying colors or screen layouts.
4. Form hypotheses and connect them to metrics. Explain how each proposed change could improve the user journey and how its effect could be evaluated. Possible metrics depend on the scenario. For example, moving registration until after a user has received value may improve registration conversion.
5. Map and simplify the user journey. Break the task into steps, identify barriers, and consider removing or reordering steps.
6. Design screens last. Use wireframes and the company’s existing design system where available. The visual UI is the final expression of the product work, not the whole process.

Portfolio and hiring lessons

• A case study should state the specific problem and outcome sought—for example, “simplified grocery ordering,” rather than merely “created a food-delivery app.”
• Research must visibly inform the proposed design. Listing personas, a customer journey map (CJM), or other methods does not by itself demonstrate a product approach; insights should connect to hypotheses, journey decisions, and mockups.
• Present the reasoning behind design choices and show how proposed changes could be tested. Cases that show screens without research, hypotheses, or a clear problem can appear weak to hiring teams.
• Designers without commercial experience can still build credible cases by conducting real research for educational or portfolio projects and demonstrating a coherent process.
• Avoid adding trendy methods or tools just to make a case look sophisticated. Use methods that serve the problem and connect to one another.

AI and workflow

Sidorenko presents AI as an accelerator across the design process, not a replacement for the process or a separate design stage. Designers should gather and validate research themselves; AI can help organize collected data or handle repetitive production work, such as routine layout adjustments. The proposed advantage is freeing time for product reasoning rather than relying on generated outputs as evidence.

Metrics and figures cited

• Sidorenko says he has 13+ years of product-design experience and has supported designers seeking product roles for about three years.
• He estimates that around 99 out of 100 portfolios have room for improvement and says research and design are disconnected in roughly nine out of ten portfolios he reviews.
• He says some of his mentees found roles at companies including Alfa-Bank, Tochka Bank, and Ozon. These are examples he gives, not independently verified outcomes.
• He says designers who master the product process may reach an income of 200,000 rubles or more within 2–3 years. This is his claim, not a guaranteed target.
• His mentoring cadence: a task every 2–4 days, with personal feedback within 24 hours.
• Example of a product KPI: registration conversion. No specific measured uplift or performance target is provided.

Mentoring and practical next steps

His described support includes portfolio and project reviews, UX research practice, design feedback, portfolio and résumé preparation, interview preparation, and guidance on test assignments. The process begins with reviewing existing work and agreeing on a strategy, then proceeds through assigned tasks and individual feedback. He also offers a free portfolio analysis by application.

Presenter/source: Ilya Sidorenko, product designer and video presenter.