As a recruiter, you should be well-prepared for a job interview with UI and UX experts, in light of the fact that the professionals in this field are responsible for a broad range of tasks. In our experience, there is a specific set of questions that you should consider asking the candidates during an interview.
You prepare differently for the hiring process for various roles in your firm depending on the position you are recruiting for. Finding someone who can fulfill every skill and criteria may be challenging because there is a vast range of duties that come within the purview of UX and UI Designers. You should first understand what is exactly what your are looking for in your company.
It is not reasonable to expect that someone can master all tools and concepts, it can only lead to frustration. Source: uxdesign.com
We asked our recruitment consultants at Prosperity to share some insight into the kinds of questions they would ask when seeking for a UX or UI Designer.
Question #1: How do you think you would fit in our team?
Ask the prospect how they would anticipate to fit their work within your team. How do they see themselves adjusting to the team, and why do they think they are so important to it, given the current team in place?
It is important to find out how they prefer to work in a team since many professionals are social creatures.
Question #2: Can you tell me 5 adjectives that your peers would use to describe you?
Asking designers to define themselves in at least five adjectives they think their peers would describe them with is a fantastic interview question. It provides insights into how they think of themselves, and how they think they are perceived in the professional, as well as personal setting.
Question #3: Could you show me your portfolio or, alternatively, work on a wireframe?
Most probably, a UX Designer will not be able to show you a portfolio, as most of their work is done behind the scenes. Also, as new trends emerge and taste changes, it is likely that work from only a year ago might look dated. That's why sometimes it can even be a good thing for UX designers not to show their portfolios.
Even the supposedly timeless logos are subject to changes informed by current trends from each period. Source: Manrajubhi
In contrast, a UI designer can present you with a portfolio filled with several examples of interfaces they have built.
In order to get the best results when hiring a UX designer, you can assign them with a wireframe, and ask to make improvements. Instead of only making visual improvements they believe would work, good UX specialists will attempt to understand the consumers and the motivations behind their usage of the product.
Question #4: We have "x" issue on our website, can you tell me how would you approach a solution for it?
You can only decide what is best for a user when you truly understand them. Great UX work is based on hours of study and analyzing the user's mindset.
When interviewing a potential designer for your company, inquire about the applicant´s approaches understanding the end user within past projects for.
Moreover, you can ask about the complexity of prior projects. Valid questions include ones about budget, real scope of tasks of the candidate, outcome of their responsibilities. As an alternative, you can describe the difficulties you are facing in your company and ask them to propose viable solutions and methods to address them.
Question #5: Can you explain how would you advocate for a solution that is encountering opposition from other departments?
UX and UI experts must advocate for users, which frequently entails developing practical solutions that balance users' requirements with corporate objectives. They must further communicate these answers in a way that any employee on the business team can comprehend and support. Inquire of your applicants whether they have ever had to persuade skeptics of an idea or a solution. Do not forget to consider how well they sell themselves and their background to you throughout the interview!
Conclusion
The above questions will bring you closer into knowing which of your applicants would be able to address your concerns in the most efficient manner.
As some final words, we would like to bring up the words of the UX Institute founder, Mark Swaine:
¨It is important to emphasize that for this position you should choose well-rounded candidates who have expertise in at least one particular area. Moreover, remember that UXers are social beings who function best when set aside by at least one accomplice. Every UX and UI practitioner, regardless of their level of training or experience, gains from having a partner with whom they can work with, come up with ideas, and share knowledge.¨
If you need to benchmark the salaries of your company with the ones in the market, here's our list of salaries for UX/UI roles. At the same time, if you don't know how to craft a nice job description for your ux role you can check our template for a job description for a UX Designer or the one for a UI Designer.
