How to Prepare for a UX/UI Designer Interview

UX/UI interviews usually include a portfolio review, a design challenge and teamwork questions. How to prepare for each, with an example case study walkthrough.

You open your portfolio for the panel and beautifully designed app screens scroll past one by one. Then the design lead stops you on page three and asks, “Why is this button here? How do you know users understand it?” If your answer is “Because it looks better,” the interview may end sooner than you expect. UX/UI work is judged on the reasoning behind the design, not just how it looks.

What a UX/UI designer interview includes

Formats vary by company, but most include these parts:

• Portfolio review: presenting two or three case studies to the team.
• Design challenge: a live exercise or a take-home task.
• Collaboration questions: working with PMs, developers and stakeholders.
• Technical questions: tools, design systems and accessibility.

Portfolio review: tell the process, not just the result

Choose case studies that match the company’s work. If they build a finance app, pick work involving forms or complex data. Then present with this structure:

1. Brief and context: what the business needed and what problem users faced.
2. Your role: what you did yourself and what you did with others.
3. Research: user interviews, usage data or tests.
4. Options and decisions: how many directions, why you chose this one, what you dropped and why.
5. Results: measurable outcomes or real feedback.
6. What you would do differently: with more time or data.

An example of explaining a decision: “We tested two versions with six users. The first put every step on one page, the second split it into three steps. Most users completed the second without asking for help, so we chose it, even though it added screens.” If you show numbers, use only real ones. If the work is confidential, mask key data and tell the panel plainly.

See more on preparing your portfolio for the day in preparing a portfolio for interviews.

Design challenge: think out loud

Live (whiteboard)

Spend the first part asking questions before drawing: who is the main user, which device, what is the business goal? Then sketch the user flow before detailing screens. Explain your reasoning at every decision. The panel wants to see process more than a finished design.

Take-home

Limit yourself to the time the company suggests. Do not overrun so it becomes free work. State your assumptions clearly and show the options you considered but did not choose.

Collaboration questions

• “What if a developer says your design cannot be built by the deadline?” Answer by finding a joint solution, such as building the most essential part first and saving the rest for the next round.
• “What if an executive wants to change colours or layout on personal preference?” Show that you listen and use user evidence in the discussion rather than refusing outright.
• “How do you hand off to developers?” Describe specs, components and communication during development.

The designer who gets hired is not the one with the prettiest screens, but the one who can explain why the screen has to be that way.

Technical topics to review

• Figma at the level of components, variants and auto layout.
• Design system principles and keeping things consistent.
• Accessibility basics, such as contrast, font size and tap targets on mobile.
• Simple user testing methods and reading basic usage data.

What to avoid

• Showing beautiful mockups with no background on the problem.
• Saying “we did” throughout so nobody knows what was yours.
• Harshly criticising the company’s own app. If asked, suggest improvements constructively.
• A portfolio that will not open because you did not test the link.

Prepare step by step

1. Pick two or three case studies that match the company’s business.
2. Practise presenting each in five to seven minutes.
3. Use the company’s app or website and note what you like and what you would ask.
4. Practise design challenges with short, timed prompts.
5. Rehearse collaboration answers with Interview Lab.

If you are not sure your resume shows your design skills well enough, read resumes for designers so your resume and portfolio tell the same story.