UX Designer Mock Interview: Portfolio, Critique & Behavioral Questions

UX interviews often involve a candidate explaining how they think, not simply showing finished screens.

You may be asked to

• walk through your portfolio
• explain design decisions
• critique an interface
• solve a design problem
• discuss research
• work with product and engineering
• defend tradeoffs

Portfolio questions

1. Walk me through your portfolio.
2. Which project are you most proud of?
3. What was your role?
4. What problem were you solving?
5. How did you understand the users?
6. What research did you conduct?
7. What alternatives did you consider?
8. What would you change today?
9. What was the hardest design decision?
10. How did you measure success?

Design critique

1. Critique this product.
2. What is the biggest UX problem?
3. Who is the user?
4. What would you investigate before changing the design?
5. What would you test?
6. How would you prioritize usability issues?

Product thinking

17. How would you redesign this experience?

18. How would you design for a new user?

19. How would you improve activation?

20. How would you decide between two design options?

Collaboration

1. Tell me about a disagreement with a product manager.
2. Tell me about a disagreement with engineering.
3. Tell me about difficult feedback.
4. Tell me about a time your design was rejected.
5. Tell me about a time research changed your opinion.

Behavioral

1. Tell me about a failure.
2. Tell me about a difficult stakeholder.
3. Tell me about a project with ambiguity.
4. Tell me about a design that didn't perform well.
5. Tell me about a time you influenced a decision.

Portfolio practice is different from question practice When you present your portfolio, the interviewer may interrupt: “Why did you choose this?”

Then

“What evidence supported that?”

Then

“What if engineering couldn't build it?” Practice the entire conversation. Don't simply rehearse a presentation. [Rehearse your UX portfolio interview with Mockly]