UX Design Interview: A Complete Guide For Beginners

Hearing the word “Interview” a lot of people get nervous and anxious about the process, but UI/UX design interviews are one of the most exciting, but at the same time difficult interviews which test the thorough knowledge of an individual who is applying for the job. Interviews are a fair chance for you to demonstrate your abilities and get to know your potential future employer. A good set of interviews not only tests your skills but also gives you a chance to interact with people from the company you’ve applied for. 

As a candidate, your goal is to persuade them that you are the best candidate for the position. The interview is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the organization and assess if you would enjoy working there, how your team and team members would be, and what work you would do once you get onboard.

But before starting to apply for companies be sure that you’re all set to apply, which means you have your resume and portfolio ready to share. For a designer to get a chance to be interviewed goes through a process of resume and portfolio scanner round. So it is of utmost importance to have a collate folder, online website, or even PDFs ready to be shared with the recruiter.

Before jumping into the details of a UX design interview, let’s have a look at some crazy and interesting facts about a UX design job.

Complete Guide to UX Design Interview – 2023

Now, we will be discussing in-depth details that any company asks during a UX Design Interview & will also be discussing the salary structure based on the level of expertise.

1. Interesting Facts About UX Design Job

• Job Experience: A survey carried out by UXTools says that a major group of user experience designers are 3-5 Years.
• Average Salary: Through the source of Glassdoor the average salary is approximately INR 4 lac per year which is around USD 5000. Whereas, Switzerland is the highest paying region with a salary of around INR 80 lacs which is around 1 lac dollars

2. High Salary Paying Companies

Companies like Google, Apple, and Adobe are one of the highest paying jobs, mentioning salaries offered by these companies:

• Google: Google offers salaries between $77,000 and $173,000. In India which is around INR 6 to 50 lakhs a year.
• Apple: Apple offers salaries between $73,000 and $183,000. In India which is around INR 8 to 60 lakhs a year.
• Adobe: Adobe offers salaries between $66,000 and $162,000, which in India is around INR 12 to 22 lakhs a year.

3. Size of Team

Based on the numbers of the 2019 Global Survey, around 25 UX Designer in a team is a size found on average in a company

• The demand for UX Design: According to a CNN Money survey between 2017 and 2027, says that the demand for skilled user experience designers will rise by 13%. Making an average of 3% year-on-year growth in the career.
• UX trends in 2023: UI UX trends include generative AI, large font size, light mode, data-driven & personalized design, and more in 2023.

4. Salaries Based on Experience

Skillcrush has collated salary insights based on different companies.

• Entry Level: Individual having 0-1 year of experience is salaried around $75,000 – $80,928, in India, it is around INR 3 to 5.5 lakhs a year.
• Intermediate Level: Individual having 7-9 years of experience is salaried for around $90,000 – $104,580, in India it is around the average is INR 5 to 14 lakhs a year.
• Senior Level: Individual having 11+ years of experience is salaried for around $110,000 – $113, 368, in India it is around the average is INR 13 to 30 lakhs a year.

5. Required Qualification

Design is a field that is open to everyone who is passionate and skilled to design experiences for the digital era. There could be people who are from non-design backgrounds whereas some might be graduated from popular colleges with master’s degrees in design.

What Do Recruiters Look At During a UX Design Interview?

During the interview process, recruiters aim to find the best and most suitable fit for the job role. As a suitable fit for the role, one has to pass through different rounds of interviews. Recruiters seek answers to a few questions such as:

1. Do you have the required skills?

One should have skills that are mentioned in the job description. Such as prototyping, animations, motion design, etc. 

2. Can you handle the work? 

Do you possess skills and have the ability to work under required situations, such as intense workload, and collaboration and do you have the qualities, and experience required to perform the job successfully? 

3. Will you enjoy your job?

As a recruiter, their job is to also check would be able to fit in the team, collaborate with members and be interested in learning more about their day-to-day work. Do you seek and give motivations and whether you are compatible with the requirements of the position and the organization? This is crucial to know, as hiring someone new should maintain company culture. Also, they don’t want to hire somebody who will probably quit after a few months or not like to work with them. 

5. Do you fit in well with the business?

Aside from your abilities, they’ll be considering if your career path in UX design corresponds with their requirements.

6. Are you flexible to own up and volunteer?

Through the interview rounds, a lot of time there would be questions around your strengths and what you’ll bring to the table apart from core skills, these strengths would be considered as your competencies for the job. Such as if you are a self-taught designer who has already worked somewhere, and might have some other skills and abilities which they can leverage (when required).

What To Do After Submitting The Applicable Job?

After you’ve applied to a couple of positions as a UX designer, wait till any mail or phone call comes to you. Meanwhile, research the company, and check on Glassdoor, Indeed, and Quora. Be active on your mail and try to check your inbox every few hours, to see if there are any available interviews. Regardless of the method you used to submit your CV or portfolio, if the hiring manager is interested in your materials, you will engage in additional discussions. Although the interview process differs from company to firm, there are always certain similarities. 

Steps Involved in UX Design Interview Process

The hiring process can differ from company to company and sketching out a generic flow of interview rounds is a bit difficult. I’m sharing all the different rounds which I heard and have been through to give a big-picture idea of what different interviews can be there and how to handle each of these.

1. Scanning call with HR

This is the very first step of a lengthy interview process. At the same time, apply for any position in any company. Once you submit your resume and portfolio for a job opening, a recruiter or HR representative gets the form filled out for you. After that, if your resume gets parsed and gets shortlisted, they would place a screening call, which typically lasts 10 to 20 minutes. It is an introductory call that is basically made to understand your profile, interest, and whether you would be eligible to proceed further in the hiring process.

• Objective: The major objective of this conversation is to share more detail about the position and inquire about your career history, prior experience, and the qualities you’re now seeking in a position. Your expectation in terms of work, notice period(if applicable), and salary.
• Key takeaways: Do take advantage of these screening/intro calls. Utilize this opportunity to practice “pitching” yourself as a suitable candidate for the respective job role. Try to get details about the team, work, and company through HR. This is the right time to build a rapport with HRs. Learn from these calls, so even if some of them don’t go well, you’ll only get better for the next one.

2. Introduction call with Senior Designer

This call would be the first round of interviews with the team you would be hired in. During this call, you would be asked a good mix of technical, nontechnical, and behavioural questions. 

• Objective: This round of interviews involves taking a thorough dive into your design process, thought process, approach, tools, collaboration with cross-functional teams like product and engineering, and team dynamics from previous work(if any). 
• Key takeaways: For you, it can be a very good opportunity to interact with a senior designer in the team and get to know how the team works, what is expected from the role they are hiring and what is the culture like. Be open to knowing more specifics about the position at this stage. Don’t be shy or afraid of asking questions as well. Prepare interview questions based on the values that are significant to you in the position mentioned in the job description(personal health, career growth, team values, etc.)

3. Portfolio Round

Normally, the portfolio round of the interview process will include a check of your work and projects which you have mentioned in the resume. However, this round can be shifted up and down in a series of other interviews. Here you would present all your projects (be specific to the role and keep a maximum of 3 projects) to interview your future employer in a 45–60 minute session. 

• Objective: In a way, your portfolio is a design issue all by itself. You have to answer all the questions which come up related to the work you are showcasing. You also critique your work sometimes when asked “What do you think can be done better” etc. As you build your brand and skills, you must meet the demands of all of your potential employers. If you lack experience, one of the most crucial components of the interview process is your portfolio and the way you present it.
• Key takeaways: While presenting your work, follow the STAR approach of storytelling. More than the work, the way you present it if you aren’t able to express, explain and justify it might turn out to be a big downfall. Focus on the 4-Ps, which stands for Person, Project, Philosophy, and Process. 

4. Design Challenge/TakeHome Assignment

After qualifying for the introduction and portfolio round, it is time to test your skills through a design challenge. This could be generally of two types:

• Take Home Challenge: This type of design challenge is given to a candidate with a time limit of 2-3 days. During this time, candidates are free to do any research and divide their time at their convenience. Once complete, all the deliverables should be shared with the respective HR via email. The result would typically be shared with the candidate in 1-2 days.
• White-boarding: For white-boarding, the candidate is given 45-60 minutes to come up with solutions, ideate and draw out some concepts. Here you get to collaborate with team members you can share your ideas and they can review them, and question them to help you ideate better.
• Key takeaways: Here the purpose of this round is to test the real knowledge of the candidate. To work on complex projects and problems it is very important to check whether the candidate is able to think through the problem, able to ideate, and collaborate.

5. App/Product Critique

Not every company does this separately, but it is part of a few companies’ interview processes such as Meta and Google. During an app critique interview, candidates are given a few apps and websites to critique, which basically means finding flaws and trying to fix them with a feasible solution that comes to their mind.

• Objective: The objective of this round is to check whether the candidate has an “Eye for Details”, this is very much needed for companies that are design driven. Critiquing someone else’s work and trying to fix it would be an excellent competency while working as a UX designer. This skill also comes in handy when a team member leaves and you have to take over the work.
• Key takeaways: Also try to start with the basics, don’t rush with so many flaws. Try to look for useful components that can be used in place of something else used in the design to give a better experience. Watch a few videos prior to the interview to get aware of the process and approach other designers. You can also practice this with your mentor or fellow designer.

6. Discussions with the Hiring Manager/Head of Design

If you reach this round, it is somewhat clear that you would be hired but the last step can be crucial too. The managerial sound generally happens with the Head of design or the senior design person in the team or organization. Interacting with an experience you’ll get a chance to talk about your journey, your expectations, and any gaps which you feel can be refined in the role. You can take feedback and share your ideas.

• Objective: The end objective before making an offer, a second informal interview may be conducted to ascertain the company’s concerns regarding cultural fit, particular areas of your expertise, or skill gaps.

7. Discussions with the Product Manager

Not necessarily to be there in the interview process, but sometimes to check the collaboration skills and how a candidate interacts with cross-functional teams this round is placed in the hiring process. Interacting with a product person gives good exposure to the product and what they bring to the company. Design and product are very unconnected to each other. Saying that design drives the product would be equally right to say a product influences design. 

As a candidate try to bring your ideas to the product, and have a healthy discussion around what is your take on the product, what you think can be better, and what you think is different from others. 

The OFFER!

So finally after a lot of interviews, design discussion, and waiting it is now time for the final offer. Once you make it to the final stage, you’ll be notified via email or phone call about your selection. HR reaches out to the candidate for further process of onboarding and documentation. Before sharing the final offer, HR talks about the salary negotiation, and once finalized the offer is rolled out. Further to this the onboarding team gets in touch with you related to other formalities.

Conclusion 

If you’re feeling nervous or under-confident about the process, don’t be afraid. Practice well and have a solid portfolio that you have worked on so that you can explain and answer every question. Put time and effort into interview preparation, and you’ll surely get it through. So that’s a wrap for this article, in the next article we’ll be looking at the top questions asked in a UX designer interview and tips to handle them confidently.