13 Essential UX Designer Interview Questions and Answers
Landing your dream job is all about finding the perfect balance between upscaling your work skills and mastering your soft skills to ace interviews. Similarly, jumping head-first into any interview as a UX designer only after working on your design skills and portfolio can lead you to roadblocks in the form of common UX designer interview questions.
Securing a job becomes much easier when you are well prepared for the common questions that your interviewer can throw your way.
Interview Questions and Answers for a UX designer
While every firm has its style of assessing your designing skills, broadly considered as hard skills of suitable candidates. The personal interview round is mostly to assess how well a particular candidate will fit into their work environment. Knowing the common interview questions and being well prepared for them is essential for both the employer and the employees.
Some of the most frequently asked UX/UI designer interview questions are compiled below:
1. Tell us about yourself
While this question usually sounds like an icebreaker, it is the point where most candidates are rejected. Preparing for this question is difficult if you aren’t sure about what sort of answer your interviewer is looking for.
As a UX designer interview question, your interviewer usually looks for how and when you got into the field. It also decides the pace and direction of your interview and a chance for you to share your journey as a UX designer. If you have no experience as a UX designer you still have a chance.
2. Explain the difference between UX and UI design?
Candidates may be asked this basic question that can throw any negligent candidate off track. While the question seems quite innocent, knowing the correct answer can be a game-changer if you apply only as a UX or UI designer.
The question lets interviewers filter out the serious candidates from the non-serious ones. Candidates can score brownie points and highlight their skills by mentioning specific projects focused on the user experience aspect of their design.
3. How will you describe your workflow?
As one of the common questions to ask a UX designer, this question is mainly used to assess the soft skill of the candidate. The answer to this question allows interviewers to understand the candidate’s problem-solving skills, approach to work, and primary focus while designing. Interviewers are mostly looking forward to understanding your approach to problems through design thinking.
To ace this question, it is better to be prepared with all the key highlights of your workflow, including the critical steps starting with user research, personas, and user flows to prototypes, wireframes, testing, and analysis.
4. What is the need for UX designing?
Another one of the frequently asked UX designer interview questions is mainly directed to understand if the candidate in question truly understands the significance of the field. Interviewers are mainly looking forward to seeing if the candidate has an in-depth understanding of the UX design field and its significance or not.
This question is one of those simple-looking tricky questions where textbook definitions won’t work. The only way to ace this is to share your personal views and understanding of the subject and highlight topics like user research, usability testing, customer testing, etc.
5. Share your most successful UX design project.
When considering questions to ask a UX designer, this particular question is perfect for interviewers to assess your skills. In your answer to the question, the interviewers analyze your weaknesses and strengths and get a rough idea about your design style.
A sure way to ace this question is to start by talking about the best parts and the problems of your most successful project. This should be followed by mentioning your specific contribution to the project. If possible, try to end the answer by talking about measurable aspects of success like click-through rates or sign-ups.
6. What, according to you, will be the next thing in UX?
While this question is frequently asked to both freshers and senior UX designers, its purpose varies. One of the senior UX designer interview questions is mainly to understand if the designers in question are upgrading their skill set as per the latest trend or stuck on the design styles from their time. If you want to upgrade yourself, you can be active in Slack communities for UX designers.
The question also enables the interviewers to understand if any candidate is passionate enough to follow all the upcoming changes and keep track of the developments in the field.
7. Which are the courses and certifications that you have under your name?
With this question, interviewers want to establish if the candidate holds a degree/certificate in UI/UX design. For candidates, this is an excellent opportunity to mention the courses and projects they have worked on, that we’re focused on various aspects of UX design that are required for the job role.
Candidates who still don’t have a professional certificate in UI/UX designing can go for UX design courses listed by DAN Institute to enhance their skills and make it more inclusive for various job roles.
8. Any suggestions to improve the UX of our product?
This question is asked to know if the candidate has researched the company website and has any suggestions for improvement. It shows your interviewer if you are ready to take up the groundwork.
Instead of picking on the product’s negative aspects, it is better to stick to a well-researched answer about the pros and cons. It is noteworthy that when sharing feasible solutions to the cons of the product, keeping a diplomatic tone will earn you brownie points.
Interviews can also include quick hands-on design tasks; this may or may not be asked, depends on the company. It is always better to include the projects you were a significant part of to highlight your strength. Also, mention one or two unsuccessful projects to get a chance to share your weaknesses and how you overcame them.
9. Where do you find inspiration?
Interviewers usually look for a few factors when they ask such a question. First of all, they want to know that the industry is really in your interest. Secondly, they want to know you keep up with trends. Third, people want to see you are continually seeking ways of learning and improving. There is no correct or misrepresentation here. You might talk about a recent design book and bring out one or two tips you garnered off. You can discuss a UX podcast or a trend that you read on a design blog. How might this trend help the success of this company? Perhaps on Twitter, there is a UX designer who inspires you always with fresh ideas.
10. What is the difference between UX and UI?
What do they genuinely ask, do you grasp (and how does it fit the wider picture) what UX is and isn’t? While the UI and UX are occasionally employed (or grouped together) interchangeably, they play a different role in the process of product creation. Make sure that you express the distinction between a product that looks good (UI) (UX). This would be a good moment to talk about collaboration and division of labor if you have already collaborated with the UI or graphic designer.
11. What kind of approaches of research are you using?
How do you validate your design selections, what are they truly asking?
User research is an important element of UX design, thus interviewees occasionally wish to measure their familiarity with the process and methodology.
This question can be addressed in a few ways. Make sure you follow any strategies utilized in the past to investigate users (this can include the research you conducted as part of a course or degree project). Discover each method’s advantages and drawbacks.
You can also frame your response in terms of research approaches if you have limited experience in UX design.
12. Challenge for the Whiteboard
How are you doing under pressure? What are they actually asking? Can you back up your curriculum vitae?
Many interviews with UX designers contain a practical design issue. At times, you are turning into a take-home project later on. More frequently, it is a challenge for the whiteboard when a solution is required while discussing.
But bear in mind that your approach will have more to do than the end result.
13. Do you have universal design practices?
Accessibility is a key pillar in UX, which is why this question is asked amongst critical questions for the UX design interview. The product, service or experience is made as accessible as possible by a UX designer. The universal conception ultimately portrays the organization well; it targets a broader audience. As a candidate, you need to know how to integrate universal design with the principles of design in your work. It also helps to reflect this on the organization’s product or service.
Amazon Interview Questions
1. Have you ever worked on a project where you thought you did an excellent job?
This kind of question needs to be highly prepared.
The interviewer cannot immediately get to know your design in depth.
So, by explaining one or more design aspects he/she will wish to verify your design capability.
We propose that you tell the interviewer why you have developed how it was, how you got the idea and what it adds to the value of the user. You probably won’t get any highlights if you don’t think sufficiently with your design. Don’t be too worried, because the interviewer doesn’t anticipate a groundbreaking or worldwide design to come in.
Just something you have been thinking about a lot, maybe it’s hilarious or reflective.
2. How do you see the difference between the web and mobile (or any of the platforms you’ve worked on)?
The interviewer will generally ask you about the distinctions between the platforms in which you work. The interviewer can request you to assess the features of the unworked platforms. For instance, in the past you didn’t work as a PC client, but as the PC interaction designer applied for a position. Here, the interviewer can easily talk about the subject.
Interviewees must therefore examine the features of several platforms before the interview.
Google Interview Questions
Give me an example of a time you dealt with conflict at work
Part of the interview process is to find out how you work. You can work together? Can you use multiple ideas and points of view in your designs? Do you have confidence in the work of your team?
UX design is a process that is highly cooperative. Take this opportunity to discuss a successful partnership. This can be a collaborative effort or group endeavor in a previous task. Regardless of the example, you have chosen, remember to mention your group role, how you overcome any hurdles, what the teammates have learned and how the completed product profited.
Tell me about a time you tried to do something but failed
The question is asked to know what your greatest weaknesses or strengths are. You have a choice to display your strengths concerning the design project you are most proud of. Specify your contributions to the project, then go a little farther on what made this project so successful. See if you can tie the traits in the task description for the role while you prepare for this question. Another technique to ask about your vulnerabilities is the negative form of inquiry. Honestly, but focus on what you have learned and how you will do differently in the future from the unsuccessful effort.
Conclusion
To ace the UI UX designer interview questions, you have to be pretty straightforward and well prepared. This will surely help you stay on top of your game by focusing on all aspects of your skills. It is not possible to overestimate the importance of preparation when it comes to interviews. Check the company, its ideals and its objectives. Search the individuals with whom you will interview. And above all, know the job description and its criteria inside and outside so that you can respond.