When I was a rookie designer, there were many popular newsletters back then, but there was one email that most of my friends in my field received almost every day: “Clark from InVision.” This guy was in everyone’s inbox. He was in mine. And probably, he was in yours too, and you didn’t even notice it.

And even though Clark was a very persistent guy, that wasn’t the email I received most frequently. Any guess on which one was? Yep—rejection letters. No kidding. If I had to rank the most frequently received emails, those would be at the top, followed by “Clark from InVision.”

There was a moment in my life when I went through a design test, spent lots of time and energy, only to be left with ”…we regret to inform you that we have decided to move forward with other candidates…” But things started to take a different turn, and since then, I’ve had a streak of zero failed tests. What happened? That’s what I want to share with you here.

Breaking the cycle

I’d like to start by saying that I don’t judge people who don’t feel capable of achieving something. Living in the same cycle of failure for a long time can have profoundly negative effects on how you perceive yourself and the world.

As someone who grew up in a very poor family, I can confidently say that the most damaging part of being trapped in the poverty cycle isn’t just the difficulty of accessing basic needs like medicine, healthcare, education, and a balanced diet. It’s how it impacts your mind and confidence. It requires a lot of effort to rewire your brain to process opportunities—opportunities that have felt inaccessible since the start.

Even though feeling unsuccessful undeniably takes a toll on the mind and confidence, it’s not a universal rule. There are individuals who, despite their circumstances, somehow manage to maintain a fresh perspective and believe in the opportunities that lie ahead. It’s as if their mindset shields them from the weight of their reality. On the other hand, there are those who have plenty and still feel trapped in cycles of self-doubt. I want to think of myself as the first type of person.

When I started my career, I didn’t even know people would pay you to design squares on a white canvas. Then one day, my father said, “I think you could charge for that.” And I was like, “Oh, you’re right.” With time, curiosity, and my trusty Pentium II Dell computer, I discovered that solving problems was my thing. I became obsessed with it and dedicated intense effort to improve every day.

Eventually, I got my first job. Even though I was a rookie designer, my life was suddenly full of opportunities. Getting a job as a junior designer is no small feat—especially now, with the market being so competitive. I was so grateful… But it didn’t last.

I made the decision to leave my job to pursue an opportunity I hadn’t carefully considered, which turned out to be a huge mistake. After several months, I ended up without a job and money.

Couldn’t afford to stay unemployed for long, so I started applying for different positions again. While I kept applying to jobs that aligned more with my interests, I had to take jobs that I didn’t want, just because I needed to pay the bills. And after months of effort, I finally landed several interviews for positions I was genuinely excited about.

However, I noticed an interesting pattern: I was trapped in the drift and soul-crushing cycle we all know too well—design tests.

Here’s how it goes: the company you’re applying to gives you a test to assess your skills and performance. These tests can cover visual design, product thinking, presentation abilities, and how you approach problem-solving.

After struggling through test after test, my confidence was rapidly declining. And as someone who believes that you can take full control of your life instead of just reacting to whatever it throws at you, I decided to start asking interviewers for the real reasons behind my rejections.

And guess what? It worked. I got pretty good feedback. I then grouped the feedback into five key areas for improvement and I worked on them nonstop until it was time to put them to the test. So, I started applying to jobs I was genuinely interested in. They asked me to complete several design tests. And did it work? Absolutely. I got the offer. Then I tried the framework again — got another offer. Then another one. And another one. That’s when I realized I had finally broken the cycle.

Even if these may not align perfectly with your specific situation, I strongly believe they lay the foundations every designer should master at a certain level.

The design framework

I hate buzzwords. I believe our field is full of bullshit and overly complicated terms. But at the end of the day, approaching design tests effectively comes down to five key things: think big, predict, effort, delight, and tell.

Definitely, I won’t cover everything in detail in this article—otherwise, it might turn out too long—but I’ll dive deeper into these in the future.

1. Big picture thinking

I believe it's crucial to go beyond the immediate task and think about why the problem exists in the first place, how your decisions impact everything, and whether you can strive for something greater.

When I think about it, I feel guilty. I was the kind of guy who did everything the managers or interviewers asked for, regardless of whether it made sense. I avoided taking high risks and left great opportunities on the table.

So, when possible, step back and see the broader perspective of the project or challenge at hand. The problem you’re asked to solve might be obvious, but what other factors are hidden that could have a greater impact? Look for those things and find opportunities others might miss.

2. Predictability

Besides understanding the challenge ahead to ensure you’re solving the right problem, you need to ask yourself: “What would users expect?”

• Would they expect this to take them to a different page?

• Would they expect this to behave in a certain way?

• How might they feel at this point, and what can we do to support them?

• Would they expect this to work similarly to other apps they’ve used before?

Information should be found in predictable places, and components should behave the way users expect—otherwise, they’ll get confused. People approach new systems using their prior experiences, so why not design in a way that makes things feel familiar?

It took me time to realize that we can be creative and strive for something new and different without making people stress about learning something completely unfamiliar.

3. Effort

Besides considering user motivation to perform an action, also think about how effortless that action should be—especially if they have to repeat it multiple times.

Some tasks undeniably require more steps than others (e.g., personalizing an experience), but whenever possible: Remove unnecessary steps. This applies to clicks, loading times, and any barriers preventing users from accessing the system’s core value faster.

Back then, I used to overlook this. I remember some of the design tests I did early in my career—instead of focusing on reducing friction and helping users reach the platform’s core value faster, I unintentionally made things more complicated. And trust me, interviewers noticed it.

4. Delight

This might sound dramatic, but I believe this is where the world is moving. AI will change our jobs in ways we can’t even imagine.

Building products that are functional but generic, easy to use, and solve a specific need will become easy to implement thanks to AI advancements (take v0 as an example).

That’s why I believe that—whether or not you want to command these new tools—having good taste and knowing how to delight users will be an essential skill. Very few people master it. Learning how to make things feel authentic and memorable is what will make a difference.

5. Tell

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if you have a great idea or execution but can’t express it, how do you expect people to read your mind?

Learning how to communicate the rationale behind your decisions and convince others will instantly make you more valuable.

Believe in what you created, and never turn in any of your tasks without first preparing a story that makes people buy into your solution.

Closing thoughts

Design tests can be frustrating, and rejection emails can be even worse. But believe me when I say that you can take full control of your career. I won’t lie—breaking this cycle wasn’t easy for me. However, refining my approach, and making the most out of every opportunity was key on achieving what I wanted. Instead of seeing rejections as failures, I thought of them as feedback loops, helping me improve, move closer to my goals, and be more confident.

Focus on these five principles when approaching any problem while deeply understanding your users, and you’ll set yourself up for success—whether it’s a design test, a complex challenge, or a real project. Mastering each of these areas on a deeper level will equip you with the tools to solve design challenges with greater impact, predict user needs, create seamless experiences, make users feel welcome, and tell compelling stories. At the end, good design is all about this.

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