Not sure that I fully agree with this. I'm a working designer, not a student, not a prospective student, and not seeking employment.

I love solving puzzles and figuring out how to turn complex user issues into simple solutions. But, outside of work I don't really do anything on my computer (sometimes read articles and look to see when my next hockey game is). I don't do much on my phone although I do use it to collect money from my partner to split our mortgage every month. I don't play video games (we have a PS2 in a closet somewhere).

You don't have to have a favorite product or have tons of experience using crap products to still be fully immersed in how apps and other products work - because it's just that ubiquitous.

My design process does start by opening Figma. Well, Figjam, rather. I can lay out simple blocks with a word or a few word describing the page/screen and figure out a flow. Or recreate the existing flow and see where the speed bump is. I'm as fast at that as I am with a pen and paper or a marker and my whiteboard doing the same exact thing. I can see it, visualize it, and think holistically about the problem. Maybe that's different from your approach, but that's why it's my design process.