People who work as interaction designers (also called “interactive designers”) use research and data about users to help them make designs for products. They help a company’s product development team test products to make sure they’re easy to use, and it’s their job to tell management how to make products better.
When hiring interaction designers, the best person will show that they know a lot about user experience design and user interface technology. Be wary of candidates with poor time management skills and limited experience in customer interactions. Special Offer.
Landing a job as an interactive designer requires you to showcase both your technical skills and your strategic thinking during the interview process. Employers want to know that you can not only create aesthetically pleasing designs, but also understand user needs solve problems creatively, and help drive business goals.
To help you ace your next interactive designer interview, I’ve compiled a list of 10 common questions, along with tips on how to craft strong, thoughtful responses.
1. How would you avoid letting innovation overwhelm you?
Interaction designers need to balance innovative thinking with practicality While pushing boundaries is important, you also need to consider project constraints like budgets, timelines, and business goals
In your response, acknowledge the importance of innovation but emphasize realistic goals. Outline your process for vetting and prioritizing new ideas based on factors like user needs, technical feasibility, and alignment with overall objectives. Share examples of how you’ve launched innovative features while still delivering projects on time and within budget. Conclude by reiterating your passion for innovation along with your ability to exercise strategic restraint when needed.
2. How would you achieve clarity in navigation elements?
Navigation design is a core component of the user experience, so interviewers want to know that you understand best practices for creating intuitive, user-friendly navigation systems.
In your response, focus on simplicity, consistency and user testing. Explain how minimizing clutter, using clear labels, and maintaining consistency across platforms helps users orient themselves easily. Discuss how you solicit user feedback via methods like card sorting, surveys and usability tests to improve navigational elements. Share a specific example of a project where your navigation design testing and iteration dramatically improved user flows.
3. When and how would you find “above the fold” most effective?
“Above the fold” refers to content visible to users without having to scroll down. Interviewers ask this to assess your knowledge of effective web design strategies.
In your response, note that while “above the fold” is losing relevance on mobile, it remains highly valuable on desktop sites. Explain how you prioritize essential content and calls-to-action above the fold to provide value quickly and drive desired actions from users. Share examples like highlighting key products on an e-commerce site or an email signup on a landing page. Conclude by emphasizing that the key is placing elements strategically based on context, rather than rigidly adhering to “above the fold” in all cases.
4. Explain how you would ensure users won’t get bored with your design.
Keeping users engaged over time is an ongoing challenge. Interviewers want to know how you approach sustaining interest and delight.
In your response, focus on strategies like personalization, gamification, and continually evolving content. Explain how adaptive interfaces that serve customized content keep experiences feeling tailored and relevant to each user. Discuss how you incorporate game-like elements to make mundane tasks more motivating. Share examples of content recommendation engines, progress trackers or real-time stats that continually update to give users dynamic new material. Conclude by reiterating that understanding your users is key to keeping experiences fresh, novel and captivating.
5. How important is contrast in your interaction design projects?
Strong contrast is fundamental to effective and accessible design. Interviewers want to know you understand its design, functional and ethical implications.
In your response, acknowledge the immense importance of contrast in drawing attention, delineating boundaries and aiding legibility. Note how poor contrast impairs usability, especially for users with visual impairments. Explain your process for selecting and testing color combinations to meet WCAG contrast ratio thresholds. Share examples of how you’ve used scale, space and color deliberately to lead the user’s eye and communicate hierarchy. Conclude by reiterating your commitment to accessibility and how contrast helps you meet that goal.
6. What is your process for conducting user research?
Thorough user research is the foundation of designing highly usable, intuitive interfaces. Interviewers will assess how well you understand and apply core UX principles.
In your response, walk through your user research process end-to-end. Explain how you identify target users and their needs through methods like user interviews, persona development and task analysis. Discuss how you synthesize findings into actionable insights that guide design decisions. Share examples of how user research improved your work, like revealing navigation pain points on a website. Conclude by reiterating the immense value user research brings in creating experiences optimized for your users’ goals and behaviors.
7. How do you balance business goals with creating a positive user experience?
Interactive designers must align UX with business strategy. Interviewers want to know you grasp this nuance.
In your response, explain how deeply understanding user needs and business goals allows you to find solutions that achieve both. Discuss how you translate business objectives into specific, measurable metrics to benchmark success. Share examples of win-win UX and business outcomes, like driving signups through streamlined flows. Emphasize how an ethical, human-centered design process ultimately results in happier customers, greater engagement and increased conversions. Reiterate how you see effective UX and achieving business KPIs as interdependent rather than at odds.
8. How do you stay on top of the latest UX trends and technologies?
The field evolves rapidly, so interviewers want to see that you are committed to continuous learning.
In your response, demonstrate how you stay sharp through activities like reading industry publications, attending conferences, taking online courses and experimenting with new tools. Share specific examples like a recent course completed or book read. Discuss how you balance focused learning with making time for open-ended exploration and play. Explain how you put new knowledge into practice, like integrating a novel layout pattern into a current project. Overall, convey your genuine excitement for learning, curiosity about innovations and passion for growth.
9. Walk me through your process for creating prototypes.
Prototyping is integral to effective interaction design. Interviewers want insight into your specific approaches and tools.
In your response, provide an overview of your prototyping process from conceptualization to refinement. Explain how you select the appropriate level of visual polish and interactivity fidelity based on the stage and goals of the project. Discuss the specific tools in your prototyping toolkit like Sketch, InVision, Figma or Adobe XD. Share examples of how you’ve created prototypes, from wireframes to high-fidelity, clickable mocks. Emphasize how prototyping facilitates collaboration, user feedback and iterative improvement vital to great UX.
10. How do you handle ambiguity in design requirements from stakeholders?
Interactive designers must navigate unclear stakeholder feedback tactfully. Interviewers want to assess your critical thinking and communication skills.
In your response, explain your process for soliciting more context and details from stakeholders. Discuss how open-ended questions, active listening and paraphrasing back help illuminate vague requirements. Share examples of how you translated fuzzy requests into concrete guardrails before ideating solutions. Emphasize how you seek to deeply understand stakeholder perspectives and goals. Conclude by reiterating how clarity ultimately allows you to create aligned, impactful designs, benefiting all stakeholders and users.
Key Takeaways
- Showcase both your strategic thinking and your technical design skills.
- Use real examples and metrics to back up your answers whenever possible.
- Convey your user-centered design philosophy while also demonstrating business alignment.
- Emphasize soft skills like communication, collaboration and continuous learning.
- Tailor responses to the role but stay authentic to your talents and experience.
Preparing articulate, thoughtful responses to common interview questions is crucial for landing your dream interactive design job. While interviews can be stressful, they are also an opportunity to share your knowledge and passion. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be equipped to ace your next interview and take your career to new heights.
Interview Questions for Interaction Designers:
Tests the candidates knowledge of interaction design principles.
How would you present a design flaw found during product testing to management?
Examines the candidates communication skills and ability to spot flaws efficiently.
The Essential UX Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them!)
FAQ
What is the role of an interactive designer?
How to do an interactive interview?
What is the difference between an interactive designer and an interaction designer?
What makes a design interactive?
What is a design interview question?
Similar to the previous interview question, this question allows you to focus on how you overcame a design problem by discussing your interaction design skills and capabilities, how you were a team player (if applicable), and any soft skills you used to solve the problem.
What should you expect in A UX design interview?
What Can You Expect in a UX Design Interview? Interviews for UX design roles usually involve a combination of technical questions, behavioral questions, and portfolio-related questions. You’ll need to talk about your design thinking process, explain your decisions, and discuss methodologies.
How do I prepare for a UI design interview?
Prepare for common interview questions specific to UI design. Research and practice answering questions about your design process, how you handle challenges in UI design, and how you collaborate with other team members, such as UX designers or developers. Web Design Best Practices
How many interviews should a design company have?
However, most companies will include the following elements in their interview process: initial screening, portfolio review, design exercise, technical and design skills assessment, cultural fit interview, and stakeholder or team interviews. You can expect as many as four rounds of interviews altogether.
