1. Tell us how do you get unstuck creatively?
This should help you to determine the person's attitude toward coming up with ideas, how he fights the tendency to procrastinate, and the out-of-the-box technique he uses to bring fresh concepts to his work. It should also show how self-aware he is about what he personally needs to do his best work in stressful environments.
2. Explain me about a time when you had to balance multiple competing priorities?
Oftentimes, an agency will take on a last-minute project for a client, or a project you thought was completed will need additional adjustments. When these projects are thrown at someone who already has a full plate, it can be frustrating and stressful. The candidate's answer should show that he can ask the right questions of his manager to determine what he should focus on.
3. Tell us what are some apps or websites that you love?
When thinking about this question, consider your audience and have a range of apps/websites that can demonstrate a diversity of aspects you find important to design. When I was interviewing, I chose SquareCash, Lyft, and Meetup - all experiences I loved for different reasons.
SquareCash represented simplicity in design. It made money transactions painless and solved a problem I didn't realize I had. Lyft represented a peer-to-peer service that was trust-worthy and delightful and leveraged local communities to foster sharing in my hometown (San Francisco) and beyond. Meetup represented a platform for community at scale and had provided a tribe for me no matter where I was in the world.
4. Tell me do you prefer to work alone or with a team?
Having self-awareness of how you work and demonstrating flexibility is key. Consider the company you're interviewing with - the size, what you know about the culture, and how you might fit into work dynamics. Also be true to yourself. The interviewer will be looking for how you play with others and determine if you're a good culture fit.
When thinking about this question, I sometimes draw a graph mapping out my energy levels throughout the day. I've discovered I like ‘heads-down' time in the morning, collaborative time after lunch, (snacks throughout the day) and time to consume content and find inspiration in the late afternoons. I try to balance my own patterns while being aware of others and the dynamics around me.
5. Tell me how do polymers behave in general?
Rather oddly, polymers are both solid and liquid at the same time. They behave unlike any other material. The career of a designer lasts hardly long enough to gain thorough understanding of the polymer nature, but in order to avoid the most obvious pit falls of plastic design it useful to have knowledge of the reasons and mechanisms behind them. Mechanical loads, environmental conditions and time - especially in combination - challenge every plastic product. If they have not been properly considered in design, the product is unlikely to last to the end of its expected lifetime .
6. Tell us how did you get into design?
I always had an interest in web design, but it's hard to have all the skills of both a developer and designer. I think knowing HTML and CSS can help a designer bridge the gap to communicate better with developers, especially on the front-end. Learning HTML and CSS is relatively easy, but it's a bit like learning a language; you have to practice and keep up with it. I love that I get to touch the code. It's important that a designer follows up on his or her vision (or the mockups).
7. Tell me how long do you think it takes to become proficient at design?
There are so many areas within design it's almost impossible to be a master of all. You can probably become proficient in certain areas in as fast as a year. If you want to be really proficient, focus on specific areas you prefer, like web design, then you'll naturally become a specialist.
8. Tell me how would you decide which features to add to your product?
This is a really hard question to answer because it is very dependent on context. If the question is asked in context of building a new piece of software, you can talk about how an MVP (minimum viable product) could be developed.
If the question is asked in context of an existing product, you should focus on the fundamentals of product strategy. Before drilling down on specific features, you will need to develop a clear picture of the business goals and user needs. You should be ready to answer the following questions:
☛ Who is the user?
☛ What are the user's goals?
☛ Why should the user care about a feature? What problems does it solve?
9. Explain me your creative process?
You want to get a better idea of how this person thinks about the creative process: Does he rely on inspiration? Data? Just plain hard work? The answer to this question will also provide you with more information about what the designer thinks are the most important steps in the process -- such as research, interviews, the critique process, etc.
This should reveal how the designer thinks about designing for clients, what's important to brands, and what information he thinks is essential to creating results-driven design work.
11. Please explain what is your design process?
Everyone has a different design process (and that's okay). What will matter is your ability to describe your process and explain the rationale behind your approach. It's a good idea to have a standard ‘go-to' process in mind, yet it's important to acknowledge your design context. Different UX situations inevitably call for different UX processes. It's a strength to understand your environment and determine a process that's best fits for your situation.
Ask your interviewer for specifics. Respond to a particular design problem the company is facing or talk about a process you have used in a particular situation.
Through all my processes, my one constant is to ask the right questions before designing. It frames the way I approach a problem and guides me toward the appropriate UX strategy and tools going forward.
12. Explain me about an assignment that was too difficult. How did you handle the situation?
Working at a fast-paced startup, you'll inevitably be thrown assignments or tasks that you won't initially know how to approach (If this doesn't happen, you might not be really working at a startup). Think about a time you took on a difficult task head first and struggled through ambiguity to eventually arrive at some conclusion. It doesn't have to necessarily be a triumphant story as long as you show your willingness to explore, test, (fail), and iterate and demonstrate a commitment to learn and adapt going forward.
One example that comes to mind is the first time I conducted (guerrilla) user interviews. I found myself clueless with a script in my hand, an iPhone camera, and 7 strangers to find and interview on the street. I failed pretty hard at first - approaching people on the go, waiting too long to make an introduction (awkward…) and rushing my questions. I studied my footage, observed patterns of when people could most likely be approached (lunch in the park), and upped my confidence with the support of a friend designer and tried again. This time, a little bit better.
13. Explain me how do you see design changing over the next few years? What areas are hot right now?
There has been a fairly recent rise in designing for interactive media given all the technological advancements we have made. Because of that there has been a ‘new' focus on UX and UI design, or user experience and user interface design. Even though UX has always been around, it existed without a name, but now it's a really hot area in design.
Thinking about UX means being analytical. I see it as being composed of:
☛ Information architecture – to decide what needs to be presented and where
☛ Research and cognitive psychology – to understand user behaviors
☛ Wireframing – to go through each potential user step
In line with the focus on UI/UX, responsive design (another buzz word that's been around for a while) has been a big area of change in design. We are at a point now where the screen size and resolution of our end-users is so varied, that we have to solve some new problems and think of our designs as being more flexible or device-agnostic.
14. Tell me what's your process for working with other designers, developers, or product managers?
Your interviewer wants to get a sense of your working style. Design is a team sport and, as a UX designer, it's crucial that you know how to effectively communicate design decisions with the team from the beginning of the project right through to implementation.
Keep in mind that each team member probably sees a given project through different contextual lenses, but you need be able to communicate with all of them to quickly spot any problems or misunderstandings.
15. Tell me what type of products are you developing & managing and who are your users?
If you are managing a technical product (e.g. developer tools, debugging tools) for a technical user base (e.g. software engineers, system analysts) then I would say that the Product Manager need to be technical enough to use every aspect of the product in the same way as the end user will in their daily jobs.
Is the person accustomed to being included from the very beginning? Or is he used to being handed a creative brief to work from? This might also show you how interested the candidate is in working face-to-face with clients, his level of experience, and if he has an interest in working through the entire design process.
17. Tell us what rules, culture, or structure needs to exist to foster team collaboration?
Depending on your agency's organizational structure, the designer will need to collaborate with other designers in the agency and with a client team made up of an account manager, a strategist, marketer, or developer. He should value clarity around timelines and responsibilities, communication, trust, and a willingness from each team member to pitch in when complications arise.
18. Why should I hire you as Physical Product Designer?
For young designers, this can feel like the toughest question to answer. Without a lot of design experience, what you can offer is your hustle and a proven willingness to learn. Emphasize it. And don't just talk about it -show it. Point to personal projects, blog posts, and other forms of commitment to design that you've taken.
As a young designer, you've taken an enormous leap into a new career. Talk about this experience and share the strides you've taken to get to where you are now and where you want to be. You have enormous potential - be confident as you go.
19. Explain me what type of tooling is needed around my design?
Years ago, a customer told me to “just deliver the 3D-files and the tooling people will figure out how to wrap the steel around it - if not I'll bang the table with my fist until they do”. That is not how it works. At the very least the parting line, draft directions and moving sliders should be considered in the 3D-geometry, ideally ejection and gating as well. It also helps if the dialogue with the tooling designer can be started at an early phase, something that is unfortunately seldom the case today. The understanding of the typical structure of an injection moulding tool, the ability to draw a cross-section of a part on a piece of paper, and some thinking is already a good start. Furthermore, if you have an idea of how the tooling is machined and built you can make the life of the tooling manufacturer much easier.
20. Tell me what is UX design? Why does it matter? How would you explain the UX design process?
Even though this is a fairly general question, don't provide general answers. Focus on giving a specific definition that sheds light on who you are as a designer. Your explanation should be clear and accessible. (Imagine that you're explaining it to a 10-year-old).
For the “why does this matter” question, use it as an opportunity to showcase your passion for the company's approach to design. You can also use it to tell a story that provides context for your own design perspective and focuses on the importance of human-centered experiences.
21. Tell us what would you say is the next big trend in UX design?
Use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate your passion for UX design and its future potential. Here are a couple of topics you could focus on: The rise of new prototyping tools that save developers and designers time by converting design to code. Designing for accessibility that allows users of all abilities to navigate, understand, and use your UI successfully.
22. Explain me what is your design process? Describe the design methods that you follow?
When explaining your design process, you can either describe your potential approach to a typical project (good), or you can explain how you've done it in the past on other projects (better). Walk your interviewer through your project(s) by using stories:
☛ Follow a typical story arc: background, opportunity, process, ups and downs along the way, and the final outcome.
☛ Be specific when you talk about the steps that you took from conception to completion of the project.
☛ Acknowledge your design context: Different UX situations require different UX processes. It's a strength to use your environment to determine the process that works best for a particular situation.
☛ Don't be afraid if your process isn't the same as that of other designers. What does matter is your ability to explain the rationale behind your approach.
23. Tell me how do you work with engineers/Product Managers/other designers?
The ability to empathize and understand the motivation of those you work with is crucial. Engineers, PMs, and other designers all come with their own particular needs and goals and if you can demonstrate your sensitivity to them, you'll be well received.
☛ Engineers: I've found that providing especially close attention to interaction design and accounting for edge cases is important. Engineers are responsible for building the product - making sure that your interactions function properly for all use cases will save your engineer friends time and frustration. Also, try to speak their language - learn how to code. Being confident in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a great start.
☛ PMs: I emphasize communication, storytelling, and tradeoffs. PMs manage deadlines, appeal to admins and keep projects running smoothly. Make sure you and your PM are sync'd. Being able to tell a powerful story about your design will also help to make their job easier when trying to persuade other stakeholders.
☛ Designers: Show, don't tell. Focus your attention toward the design problem instead of individual design preferences. Working with other designers is an incredible opportunity for collaboration and can push you to better work. When working with other designers, sometimes I like to practice pair design - it's a great way to develop shared ownership over the work and push your individual design limits.
24. Tell us what qualities in a manager do you look for? What type of person do you thrive under?
Understanding if what this person is looking for in a manager -- the level of mentorship, the personality, and values -- is in line with what you or your leadership team can provide is important for future retention and the happiness of the employee. You'll want to understand how this person thinks about the impact of his future manager on his future success, his skill development, and growth as a professional.
25. Basic Product Designer Job Interview Questions:
☛ Who are their role models?
☛ Where do they go for inspiration?
☛ How do they keep on top of current design trends?
☛ What's an example of great design (digital or physical)?
☛ What books/exhibitions/conferences or communities do they attend or admire?
☛ As a designer, what do they think is the most important aspect of their job?
