70 Product Design Interview Questions to Nail Your Next Onsite Interview

Are you preparing for an upcoming product design interview? You’ve come to the right place! In this comprehensive guide, we’ve compiled a list of 70 essential product design interview questions to help you showcase your skills, knowledge, and thought process during your onsite interview.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career in product design, these questions will challenge you to think critically and demonstrate your understanding of various aspects of the design process, from user research and ideation to prototyping and usability testing.

So, let’s dive in and explore the top 70 product design interview questions to help you nail your next onsite interview and land your dream job!

Portfolio Critique

1. How would you define yourself as a designer?
2. Describe the project you are most proud of and why.
3. Describe the project you had the most trouble with and what you would have done differently.
4. Which steps in the product design process do you spend the most time on, and which do you consider your strength?
5. Recommend a design-related book and explain why you recommend it.

Research and Metrics

1. Describe various user research techniques you have employed.
2. How did you utilize data to guide your design decisions in a previous project?
3. What were the key metrics for one of your designs, and how did you measure them?
4. Tell me about your experience with A/B testing.
5. How did you validate your design solutions with users?

Tools and Development

1. What design tools do you use to create and communicate your design ideas?
2. How would you solve a design problem without a computer?
3. If you needed to add a “social-based” feature to an app, how would you approach it?
4. How would you design a more modern caller experience for a phone application?
5. What kind of prototyping tools do you use, and why?

Design Challenges

1. How would you design an online presence for a brick-and-mortar coffee shop?
2. Design a UI for a location-based experimentation platform.
3. Re-create a navigation bar using HTML and CSS.
4. Wireframe out the layout for a movie app.
5. How would you design an elevator system for a 1000-floor building?

App and Product Critique

1. If you could improve one mobile experience, what would it be and why?
2. Talk about an app you like and explain why you like it.
3. Choose an app and identify UX issues you might have solved differently.
4. What could Siri (or another virtual assistant) do better in terms of user experience?
5. What are three small, actionable changes you would make to our website?

Handling Criticism

1. Talk about a time when you negotiated your way to an ideal UX solution.
2. Are you open to design criticism from different members of a project team?
3. How would you handle a situation where you’re presenting a design to stakeholders, but you’re receiving a lot of negative feedback and pushback on your solution?

Situational Questions

1. If there was one obstacle or issue that might prevent you from hitting a deadline, what would it be?
2. How would you handle a situation where a developer doesn’t create the product the way you designed it?
3. How do you ensure your designs meet the customers’ demands?
4. What does it mean to “store” something? Is it a natural tendency for people?
5. What would you do if you knew you were going to miss a deadline?

More Situational Questions

1. How would you design a 1000-story building to ensure efficient evacuation during rush hours (e.g., lunch hours)?
2. How would you help an independent coffee shop owner who is about to go out of business in a month?
3. Come up with a solution for emphasizing recommendations within the “Browse” section of a website or app.
4. Design a mobile app for splitting the bill among friends at a restaurant.
5. You’re working on a product team, and another team member provides you with a design idea. The idea solves a short-term problem but creates a longer-term problem that is much more difficult to deal with. How would you respond?

User Experience and Design Principles

1. What is the difference between UX design and product design?
2. Explain the concept of “design thinking” in your own words.
3. How do you ensure your designs are accessible to users with visual, hearing, or motor disabilities?
4. Describe the principles of human-centered design and provide examples of how you’ve applied them.

Design Process and Methodologies

1. Describe your typical product design process and the methods you follow.
2. What user research methodologies do you employ, and why?
3. How do you approach information architecture and content strategy for a new product?
4. Explain the concept of minimum viable product (MVP) and lean UX.
5. How do you conduct usability testing, and what insights do you aim to gather?

Design Tools and Prototyping

1. What prototyping tools do you use, and why did you choose them?
2. How do you decide on the appropriate level of fidelity for prototypes?
3. Describe your experience with design systems and pattern libraries.
4. How do you approach responsive design and ensure a consistent experience across devices?

Design Thinking and Problem-Solving

1. Describe a recent design challenge you faced and how you approached solving it.
2. How do you balance business goals with user needs when designing a product?
3. What steps do you take to validate a problem before proposing a solution?
4. How do you approach designing for complex systems or multi-platform experiences?

Collaboration and Communication

1. How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams during the design process?
2. How do you effectively communicate your design rationale to stakeholders?
3. Describe a time when you had to negotiate or compromise on a design decision.
4. How do you ensure design consistency and maintain brand guidelines across multiple products or platforms?

Design Critique and Feedback

1. How do you approach giving and receiving design critiques?
2. Describe a time when you received feedback that challenged your design decisions, and how you responded.
3. How do you prioritize and incorporate user feedback into your design iterations?
4. What metrics or data points do you use to evaluate the success of your designs?

Career Growth and Learning

1. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest design trends and best practices?
2. What areas of product design are you most interested in learning or improving?
3. Describe a time when you had to learn a new design tool or technique quickly.
4. How do you approach continuous learning and professional development as a product designer?

Rapid Design Challenges

1. Design a mobile app for tracking fitness goals and progress.
2. Wireframe a user flow for an online grocery shopping experience.
3. Sketch out a dashboard interface for a project management tool.

By preparing for these 70 product design interview questions, you’ll be well-equipped to showcase your knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and design thinking during your onsite interviews. Remember, the key is to articulate your thought process clearly, provide examples from your previous work, and demonstrate your passion for creating exceptional user experiences.

Good luck with your interviews!