UI/UX designer interview questions

UI/UX designer interview questions and answers

Design interviews centre on your portfolio and your process: how you understood users, why you made each decision and what happened after. These are the questions asked most, with what each one checks.

What to revise before the interview

  • A clear story for two or three portfolio case studies
  • Design process: research, define, ideate, prototype, test
  • User research methods and personas
  • Usability testing
  • Information architecture and user flows
  • Visual design basics: hierarchy, spacing, typography
  • Design systems and Figma components
  • Accessibility (WCAG basics)
  1. 1.Walk me through a project in your portfolio.

    What they're checking
    The main event of every design interview.
    How to answer
    Problem and context, your role, research and what you learned, options you explored and why you chose one, the final design, and results or what you'd change. Show process, not only final screens.
  2. 2.What is the difference between UI and UX?

    What they're checking
    Basics for junior roles.
    How to answer
    UX is the whole experience - whether the product is useful and easy to use; UI is the visual and interactive layer - layout, colour, typography, components.
  3. 3.How do you do user research with little time or budget?

    What they're checking
    Practicality.
    How to answer
    Five quick user interviews, guerrilla testing with a prototype, reviewing support tickets and analytics, and checking how competitors solve the problem.
  4. 4.How do you run a usability test?

    What they're checking
    Validating designs.
    How to answer
    Set goals and tasks, recruit five or so representative users, ask them to think aloud without leading them, note where they struggle, and turn patterns into changes.
  5. 5.A stakeholder dislikes your design. What do you do?

    What they're checking
    Handling feedback.
    How to answer
    Ask what problem they see, connect the discussion back to user needs and data, test alternatives if needed, and stay open - the goal is the best outcome, not your version.
  6. 6.What is a design system, and why use one?

    What they're checking
    Working at scale.
    How to answer
    A shared set of components, styles and rules (like buttons, colours and spacing) so products stay consistent and teams design and build faster.
  7. 7.How do you design for accessibility?

    What they're checking
    Inclusive design.
    How to answer
    Enough colour contrast, readable text sizes, not relying on colour alone, clear focus states, labels for form fields and touch targets large enough for fingers.
  8. 8.How do you work with developers?

    What they're checking
    Collaboration and feasibility.
    How to answer
    Involve them early, explain the intent behind designs, provide clear specs and states (empty, loading, error), and review the build together before release.
  9. 9.Redesign the checkout of an app you use.

    What they're checking
    A whiteboard design exercise.
    How to answer
    Clarify users and goals, map the current flow, find drop-off points, propose fewer steps and clearer feedback, and define how you'd measure success.
  10. 10.How do you measure whether a design worked?

    What they're checking
    Outcome focus.
    How to answer
    Task success and time in usability tests, then product metrics such as conversion, completion and support tickets - ideally through an A/B test.

Frequently asked questions

What should a UI/UX portfolio include?

Two or three in-depth case studies showing the problem, research, your process and decisions, and the outcome - better than many polished screens without context.

Do UX interviews include a design task?

Often: a take-home assignment or a live whiteboard exercise. Interviewers care more about your thinking than pixel-perfect output.

Which tool should I know for design interviews?

Figma is the standard at most companies. Know auto layout, components, variants and prototyping.

Company interview guides for this role

Related roles and topics

Practise these questions for your next interview

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