Navigating Design Hiring and Innovation with Karthi Subbaraman

In this episode of the Product Artisan podcast, host Rajesh welcomes Karthi Subbaraman, a seasoned design leader with a wealth of experience at companies including HP, Microsoft, and Salesforce, and a founder of her own design agency. Karthi shares insights on the unique challenges of design hiring, discussing the importance of empathy and understanding in the hiring process, and the differences between hiring for design roles versus other positions. She explains her approach to evaluating candidates through a mix of take-home assignments and whiteboarding sessions, tailored to the specific needs of the role. Karthi also delves into her background in human-computer interaction and cognitive science, emphasising the importance of understanding human behaviours and needs in designing intuitive and proactive user experiences. She highlights significant projects in her career that have reshaped industries, exemplifying the impact of thoughtful design on user experiences. The conversation covers evolving practices in design and hiring, and the essential role of human understanding in advancing technology and design strategy. 00:00 Welcome to the Product Artisan Podcast 00:09 Introducing Karthi: A Design Leader's Journey 01:01 The LinkedIn Storm: A Deep Dive into Design Hiring 03:17 Specialized Design Roles: Beyond the Basics 05:59 Evolving Hiring Practices: Whiteboarding vs. Take-Home Assignments 13:55 Designing for Humans: The Core of Innovation 23:29 Future-Proofing Design Careers in the AI Era 27:11 Seminal Moments in Design: Changing Ecosystems 34:14 Connecting with Karthi: Insights and Outreach