UX Designer Interview Prep Guide

Lead with "The Challenge" and "The Impact" before diving into process. Structure: business context and problem statement (30 seconds), quantified outcome (30 seconds), then your step-by-step process (3-4 minutes). For each UX method you mention (interviews, usability tests, card sorting), explain how it specifically influenced your design decisions. The biggest portfolio mistake is listing methods without showing how they changed the outcome. End with what you would do differently with hindsight.

Structure your 45-60 minutes: (1) Ask clarifying questions about users and constraints (5 min), (2) Define the user persona and top 3 pain points (5 min), (3) Map the core user journey (5 min), (4) Sketch 2-3 key screens with annotations explaining design decisions (15 min), (5) Discuss how you would test and iterate (5 min). Think out loud and write on the whiteboard as you work. There is no perfect solution; interviewers evaluate your process, how you handle ambiguity, and whether you start with user needs.

Use a structured framework: (1) Identify the primary user goal, (2) Walk through the key user flow noting friction points, (3) Evaluate visual hierarchy, information architecture, and interaction patterns, (4) Assess accessibility (color contrast, touch targets, screen reader compatibility), (5) Propose 2-3 specific improvements ranked by impact. At Apple, demonstrate attention to craft and detail. Know Apple Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design principles. Avoid generic feedback like "the colors could be better." Be specific.

Show you use data and user research to support your position, not just personal preference. Describe a specific situation where you: presented the user research evidence, acknowledged the engineering or business constraints, found a creative compromise that served user needs within those constraints, and maintained a collaborative relationship. The best answers show you advocate for users while being a pragmatic team partner.

Define both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Quantitative: task completion rate, time-on-task, error rate, conversion rate, support ticket volume. Qualitative: System Usability Scale (SUS) score, Net Promoter Score, user satisfaction surveys, qualitative interview feedback. Discuss before/after comparison methodology, how long you would wait before measuring (allow adaptation period), and how you would separate redesign impact from other changes using A/B testing.

Show you select methods based on research goals, not habit. For discovery (understanding user needs): contextual inquiry, diary studies, interviews. For evaluation (testing solutions): usability testing, A/B tests, tree testing. For validation (measuring satisfaction): surveys (SUS, CSAT), analytics review. Cover participant recruitment strategies, how you synthesize findings (affinity mapping, journey maps), and most importantly, how research directly influenced your design decisions. Give a specific example.

Discuss WCAG 2.1 AA standards as baseline. Cover: semantic structure (heading hierarchy, landmark regions), color (4.5:1 contrast ratio for text, never relying on color alone), interaction (keyboard navigation, focus management, touch targets of at least 44x44px), screen reader compatibility (meaningful alt text, ARIA labels), and motion (reduced motion preferences). Describe how you test: automated tools (Axe, Lighthouse), manual keyboard testing, screen reader testing (VoiceOver, NVDA). Mention inclusive design goes beyond compliance to designing for diverse abilities from the start.

Show you are pragmatic, not dogmatic about process. Describe how you used: competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation, analytics data, internal stakeholder interviews, and design principles as proxies when formal research was not possible. Explain the risks you identified and how you mitigated them (e.g., launched with a plan to validate assumptions through post-launch usability testing). Show you can move forward with imperfect information while being transparent about uncertainty.