Common Interview Questions + My Honest Answers to Them 🗣️

When thinking about and going into job interviews, I always try to have an open mind and really have a conversation with the interviewer to learn a lot about them and the company their working for. I am writing this page primarily for any hiring managers out there looking for a UX/UI designer like me and would like a headstart on the type of answers I will provide to the most common interview questions. As well as some questions that I will be asking to the interviewer. It's also a way for me to reference back to before I go into an interview so I have some slight idea of what I'm talking about. :p
Scroll ⬇️

Tell us about yourself.

I'm an aspiring UX/UI designer with a background in fine arts, education, business, and systems technology. My knowledge in all these fields drove me into UX/UI design. I have always loved solving problems and sketching out the process/ solution since I was a kid (math problems actually :p). I took a psychology class in college and I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about the human mind and their behaviors when it comes to design. I am always a visual and hands on person and I must see it before I believe it. All of these experience, knowledge, exposure, and a strong desire to learn and grow would make me a great candidate for a role in UX/UI design, a field that always changes. More on my about page. Lastly, since I have a background in education and teaching/ tutoring kids for 4 years, I love spreading my knowledge about design to anyone interested.

How do you go about designing a product?

First, I have to identify the problem/ challenge and what kind of people that are having this problem or what this product I am designing is tailored to. From there I conduct research by asking questions to specific individuals that will allow me to get a better understanding of the background of their problem and really putting myself in the person's shoes. Then, I create a user persona that represents the users. Second, I start looking at similar solutions like other competitors and gain inspiration from existing designs. When doing this, I try to think of what could make my design be better? What features would entice people to use my product instead of competitors? Then, I start ideating some solutions, draw a storyboard, user flows, possible layout with information architecture, and low fidelity wireframes. Third, is where the UI starts to really happen by designing high fidelity mockups and prototyping the interaction from screen to screen with micro animations. Finally, I conduct prototype with the people I have interviewed and make any changes necessary before sending it off to development team.

How do you respond to negative feedback?

Starting out in UX/UI design, negative or I would like to call it "critical" feedback is inevitable, but I always try to view it optimistically, an opportunity to iterate and improve. Everyone is different, we all have different opinions and perspectives in designs, and our reasonings behind them, that is why we have to collaborate and communicate our intentions. Teammates give each other feedback all the time, there would always be challenges and maybe even some disputes with stakeholders, but that calls for more collaboration and really understanding each others' problems and forming a consensus.

Can I see your favorite project? Tell me about it.

Oishi, sushi ordering app, would be my favorite project because it was overall very fun to make as I got to explore many features in Figma, learned a lot about users and their pain points, and plus I just love sushi. I followed the entire UX design process as I have learned in the Google UX Design courses. Oishi is basically a mobile food ordering app dedicated to the Japanese cuisine, mainly focusing on sushi. Users can customize, order for delivery or pickup, and even order directly from a social feed where existing customers post their food with videos or photos to spread the joy of deliciousness (which is a feature I never see in any of the food ordering apps). See more here.

What are your strengths?

I believe that I have most of the relevant hard and soft skill necessary to allow me to excel as an UX/UI designer in any industry. With a creative/ problem solving mindset, the ability to listen, learn, and emphasize with people's problems, and really being a team player by communicating and delivering effective design solutions. I also love collaborating and learning from my fellow designers and taking on different perspective on design. I always share resources that I find online with teammates that are relevant and useful when working throughout the design process. More on my about page.

What are your weaknesses?

Although I love spreading design knowledge and communicating about design, I do sometimes have trouble conveying my point clearly. I can stutter a lot when I'm speaking and sometimes even tend speak too fast when nervous. I feel like speaking is a problem most people have when they are just starting out like me, I hope to get better as I practice more.