1. Tell me how does my design behave in the process?
Producing good and constant quality at reasonable cost is what injection moulding is all about. Plastic components must be designed with the process in mind. It is therefore important for the designer to understand what happens in the mould during the production cycle. A few basic principles and some imagination are all that is needed for elementary flow and cooling analyses. How does the melted plastic flow, where does it (prefer to) go first? What happens when the material cools? How do the effects manifest themselves in the product and how should they be considered in the design? There is always some deviation in the process.
2. Explain me about a project you've completed that has made you the most proud?
You want to determine if the type of client work your agency does will make this designer feel fulfilled in his work. You should screen for someone who will be a long-term fit, and this means you might not want to hire someone who finds value in having his name attached to work or is more interested in becoming a famous illustrator or artist. You want to find someone who is truly excited by the idea of solving brand problems through design.
3. Tell me who in the industry do you follow and read?
Don't fudge this question! Find some members of the design community now that you admire and start reading - there are a lot of incredible designers out there to source inspiration. If you don't have a list, check out LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter or design blogs to get started. If you're feeling brave, reach out to members in the community and begin to cultivate a relationship. It's remarkable how friendly people in the design circle can be.
4. Tell me how do you get inspired?
Sometimes it's good to stop doing design or whatever it is you're doing and just shut your brain off. It helps you take a step back.
Nature is pretty inspiring. It removes me from the screens I'm glued to all day, and it's just natural and beautiful.
Traveling, seeing other cultures, new cities, and meeting different people helps keep my mind fresh too. When I visited Japan, there was so much to inspire me from the balance between traditional and modern parts of society, to Japanese textile prints and even the ‘cute' culture. Life sort of becomes a visual library full of fodder for new ideas.
5. Tell us why do you want to work at [company x]?
I like to talk about the company from a design perspective. Focus on mentorship, design culture, co-workers and the type of design challenges the company is currently facing. Make it personal and demonstrate a vision. Being able to talk about how the company melds with your past and how it will elevate you to where you want to be in your future shows a clear understanding of what you want and how to get it.
When I was applying for full-time jobs, I had just left a contract gig where I was the sole designer. I knew that I was looking for something different - a place where I could be mentored, level up in a thriving design culture, and solve problems at scale. I found companies that fit my focus and demonstrated how I was aligned with the team.
6. Tell me how do you define UX/design?
Focus on crafting a unique and specific definition that sheds light on who you are as a designer. Use this also as an opportunity to tell a story that provides context for your design perspective. However you define UX, make this a chance to add something personal.
I focused my definition around empathy and the importance of understanding the people I'm designing for. It allowed me to touch on my background in psychology, allude to past experiences I had doing anthropological research, and brought to light the importance of designing human-centered experiences.
7. Tell us what are the differences between hardness, strength and stiffness?
Understanding mechanical loads and being able to choose the most suitable materials and design structures in response requires the theoretical and practical knowledge of physics. If you are planning to outsource design services, you can test candidates by asking them to define the difference between strength, stiffness and hardness. If they are unable to do that it is best not to proceed no matter how simple the product is. Technical understanding is the backbone of good plastic design, but it is worthless without the ability to apply it in practice.
8. Explain me about a project that you're most proud of?
This is a tricky question because it puts candidates at ease, which, in turn lets the interviewer ask follow-up questions that dig into process, thinking, and interactions with other team members. It allows the interviewer to assess the candidate's depth and skill without directly asking about it. As a result, it's best to keep your answer truthful and clear. Don't exaggerate your contribution to a project.
9. Tell us what are the strengths and limitations of the plastics I use?
The spectrum of different plastic grades seems not only confusing but also indefinite. If you look at the plastic components produced by an average company, however, it is likely that 95% of them are made of roughly 8-12 different plastic grades. The understanding of different materials begins with comprehending the difference between amorphous and semi-crystalline plastics. Knowing the strengths and limitations of 5-8 different of each will take you quite far. Which ones they are depends on the business area you are in. Seen from this angle, the world of plastics is not as complicated as it may seem.
Both
a. Regular Pulse Excitation Linear Predictive Coding
b. Residual Excited Linear Predictive Coding
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Physical properties include density, melting point, specific heat, thermal and electrical conductivity, thermal expansion, and magnetic properties.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: The concept of sustainable manufacturing emphasizes the need for conserving resources, particularly through proper maintenance and reuse.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: The life cycle involves consecutive and interlinked stages of a product or a service, from the very beginning to its disposal or recycling, and includes the following:
a) extraction of natural resources
b) processing of raw materials
c) manufacturing of products
d) transportation and distribution of the product to the customer
e) use, maintenance, and reuse of the product
f) recovery, recycling, and reuse of the components of the product.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Costing Systems, also called cost justification, typically include the following considerations: (a) intangible benefits of quality improvements and inventory reduction, (b) life-cycle costs, (c) machine usage, (d) cost of purchasing machinery compared with that of leasing it, (e) financial risks involved in implementing highly automated systems, and (f) new technologies and their impact on products.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Generally, however, a high-quality product is considered to have at least the following characteristics:
a) it satisfies the needs and expectations of the customer
b) it has a pleasing appearance and handles well
c) it has high reliability and functions safely over its intended life
d) it is compatible with and responsive to the customer's capabilities and working environment
e) installation, maintenance, and future improvements are easy to perform and at low cost.
d) all of the mentioned
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Mechanical properties include strength, toughness, ductility, stiffness, hardness, and resistance to fatigue, creep, and impact.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Designs are periodically modified to
a) Improve product performance
b) Strive for zero-based rejection and waste
c) Make products easier and faster to manufacture
d) Consider new materials and processes that are continually being developed.
a) green design
Explanation: The major aim of life-cycle engineering (LCE) is to consider reusing and recycling the components of a product, beginning with the earliest stage: product design. Life-cycle engineering is also called green design or green engineering.
d) all of the mentioned
Explanation: Chemical properties of primary concern in manufacturing are susceptibility to oxidation and corrosion and to the various surface-treatment processes.
d. Electrical Soldering
30. Explain me about a UX project that didn't go as planned?
First things first, do not pretend that you've never had such a project. Making mistakes is a normal part of work life. What's critical is how you handle them. You need to find an honest example that shows:
☛ What went wrong
☛ Why it went wrong
☛ What you did to address the failure
☛ What you learned from that experience
31. Tell me how do you view the design world?
I see the design field as fitting into different types of media. Anything can be designed. There are areas of design involving print or packaging, physical product design, environmental design like signage and wayfinding systems, and of course digital and interactive media. I spend most of my time in the digital space, which is a spectrum in itself. You can be interacting via touch, or with a mouse and cursor, or something else in a 3D space. The variable screen sizes we have now, from computer monitors to different smartphones and tablets, have added a new layer of complexity to the design world.
32. Explain me about a time when a client didn't like your work?
How did you handle the situation? What questions did you ask to determine what the client didn't like? How did you solve for the client's wants while also making sure the work would meet the client's initial goals? If your agency's clients are results-driven (hint: they should be), the designer should be able to speak to the challenges of balancing creativity and data.
33. Explain me what is the most interesting project you have worked on?
Use this as a chance to tell a story - and follow a typical story arc: background, opportunity, process, adversity along the way, triumphs, and outcome. Talk about what you did on the project but focus most on why this particular project was so interesting for you. Did it have to do with the people, circumstance, opportunity, or something else?
As a young designer, I like to talk about my first foray in design: Creating the user experience for a co-living space in Tokyo. This project was meaningful to me because it was my introduction to UX and trial by fire as a designer. I practiced UX principles in a physical space, was challenged with designing in a foreign context (Tokyo), and I was able to find success in ambiguity and uncertainty - when I started I really didn't know what I was doing. Designing in a physical space provided a laboratory for me to observe, test and iterate in real time and built a foundation for how I now approach design problems in a digital context.
34. Tell me what do you think every aspiring designer should know?
All designers need a good eye, or the ability to be sensitive to small details. At the same time, a designer should be able to step back and look at a project holistically and evaluate if the problem is being solved, or the message communicated well.
I think its essential that (aspiring) designers learn about and gain an appreciation for typography. You can learn a lot about the essentials of graphic design through the study of typography, like visual hierarchy, contrast, and dealing with white space. It also helps to know about the history of graphic design.
As for software, Photoshop is the quintessential program for making website layouts (it's great with pixel-grid alignment). I've used Illustrator for mocking up layouts as well, but it's better for vector graphics and logos that need easy scaling. Starting out with these two programs is beneficial… and many of their keyboard shortcuts carry over! I should also mention InDesign as the key choice for printed layouts and materials. If you ever have to design a magazine or book, InDesign is your choice.
35. Explain me about the goals of this project and the thought process behind your solution?
Have the candidate select a previous project and explain the steps he took to complete it in detail. This should include the concepting phase, creating the initial drafts, determining the target audience, working with the client or account manager to make revisions, launching the work, and then analyzing the results/success of the project. Ask follow up questions about why he made this or that decision, what the client's reaction was to the work, and details on challenges or mistakes that were made.
