I just linked this..
No. This is one of the areas where I don't agree. The main reason is that asking someone to "design something" doesn't give them the information that they DON'T have a blank slate.
A smart and creative person may simply want to impress you with the depth of their creativity and ability to solve problems.
Sure, it's silly to arbitrarily say things like "I'm going to solve [x] problem". But, to say someone isn't smart for that reason is absurd.
After all, a smart person realises when there are constraints. A smart person wouldn't, for istance, suggest building graphical design tools into Excel. But, they might make an underground house. Even if the "tenants" the interviewer has in mind wouldn't want that.
Jeremy, interesting critique. He stresses that he wants a down-to-earth, practical person and this points more to that issue.
Dave, I took a look at your blog. Just to be sure it's understood. This posting is part of an ongoing selection from a long article by Joel Spolsky of Foggy Creek Software.
I don't ask questions like this. My job is mainly to identify potential candidates on the basis of a possession of key skills and experience. Then I pass them onto others for more in-depth interviews.
Also, thanks for the plug. By the way, Jeremy has said in the past that Joel's method closely resembles that at Microsoft so maybe he learned this from them.
Thanks...I will clarify.
Commenting by HaloScan
