This was exactly my experience too. The interviewer seemed more focused on checking boxes on the grading rubric than actually understanding the design discussion. They barely engaged with alternative approaches.

The interviewer was also very hard for me to understand, which made the interview harder than it should have been.

I am ESL too, so this is not about someone’s background. The problem is communication in an interview where both sides need to understand each other clearly.

From what I have seen on Blind, others have had similar experiences.