As you gear up for your product design interview, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with potential questions you might encounter. However, equally important is understanding your unique strengths as a designer. Consider taking the HIGH5 strengths assessment as part of your preparation. This tool can reveal your top talents, providing valuable insights that can shape your responses to interview questions. For instance, if you discover that ‘Strategic Thinking’ is one of your strengths, you can emphasize how this ability allows you to approach design challenges with a long-term perspective. By aligning your natural strengths with the specific demands of product design, you’ll be better equipped to showcase your value to potential employers and stand out in the interview process.
Without being aware of such queries, you may seem unprepared and flustered during the interview. In addition, you would also likely experience more stress. If there was a way to boost your odds of acquiring your dream job, why not try it?
The simple strategy of studying job interview questions is one way to do this. In this article, we will outline the most common job interview questions for product designers and how you can answer them.
What are employers and hiring managers looking for when interviewing people for a product design role?
Every company has unique goals and desires. Therefore, they will have unique questions to ask you during the interview. In addition, the company you are applying to will also have numerous unique goals and values that differentiate it from the others in the market.
Because of all of this, each manager and employer has a unique criteria for who they will want to hire. Nonetheless, some skills are almost universally appreciated by interviewers. These are skills that every product designer should have:
Project management skills
When you are a interested in product design, consider acquiring project management skills. Often, individuals who work as product designers work in teams. They will typically work in ‘blocks’ or have certain design goals they need to meet.
Having project management skills will, be extremely useful for your entire career. With these skills, you will be able to work with others more efficiently. Your time management will also be boosted.
Organizational skills
Organizational skills are needed in nearly any job. Therefore, it is a must acquire skill for product designers. Imagine how inefficient you would be without organizational skills.
With papers in a disorganized arrangement, a dirty desk, and clutter online space, you will likely get frustrated relatively quickly.
You would also waste an immense amount of time and thus accomplish less of your goals. If you want to avoid these negative consequences and impress your employer, learn how to stay organized.
Stress resistance
While product design might not immediately come to mind when considering high-stress professions, it can indeed be a demanding field. The pressure to innovate, meet deadlines, and satisfy client expectations can create significant stress. This is where understanding your personal strengths becomes invaluable. By taking the HIGH5 strengths assessment, you can identify natural talents that contribute to stress resilience. For instance, if ‘Problem Solving’ is one of your top strengths, you can leverage this ability to approach stressful situations as challenges to overcome rather than insurmountable obstacles. Recognizing and utilizing your strengths can transform your approach to stress, turning potential burnout scenarios into opportunities for growth and innovation in your product design career.
When you are working with important clients, every one of your design choices matter, and one mistake might cause your company to lose millions in sales.
Therefore, you need to know how to effectively mitigate and work with stress to your advantage instead of letting it take over your decision making.
Patience
As a product designer, you may have perfectionist tendencies. It will likely take numerous tries for you to develop the ‘perfect’ product design. This takes time, and it may be frustrating at times.
The ability to constantly change your work with input from managers, customers, and the technology department requires a tremendous amount of patience. If you want to make the most out of your design career, you will want to acquire patience as a top skill.
Creativity
One of the most distinct skills all designers must possess is creativity. If you create a product that seems standard and is not differentiated from the competition, there not be much of a reason to buy your product.
Nothing will stand out, and customers will not be wowed. On the other hand, if you use your creativity to create a product design that is unique and refreshing, customers be more intrigued.
Their attention will be kept and they would be more inclined to tell others about this unique product. Thus, your creativity could contribute to a boost in the company’s revenue and profit.
26 Internship Interview Questions with Sample Answers
Interview preparation can be a stressful period, especially for those new to the job market. However, one of the most effective steps you can take is thorough preparation, which includes understanding your unique strengths. The HIGH5 strengths assessment can be a game-changer in this regard. By identifying your top five strengths, you gain valuable insights that can inform your interview responses. For example, if ‘Creativity’ is one of your strengths, you can prepare examples of how you’ve applied innovative thinking to solve design challenges. This strengths-based approach not only helps you answer questions more confidently but also allows you to present a more authentic version of yourself to potential employers. Remember, the goal isn’t just to get any job, but to find a role where your natural talents can shine.
While there are numerous ways you could and should prepare, you should not overlook the importance of studying interviews questions.
Truly understanding just a few of the most common interview queries already puts you in a much better position than most other candidates. Some of the following questions may not be asked during your particular interview, or the interviewer may include questions outside of this list.
However, these still remain some of the most commonly asked queries:
1. What makes you interested in a new job?
When employers are seeking a new candidate, they want individuals who are passionate. They do not want to hire individuals who simply want a new job because they are fired from their prior job.
Instead, there should be a genuine desire for new work in each of their new hires.
Whether you are applying to the job because your prior boss became too unsupportive of your creativity or if you are interested in a new area of design, give that reason for the interviewer.
You could answer the question like this:
“I truly enjoyed my prior job. However, the manager of that company made some new outlines that I disagreed with thoroughly. He began to limit my creativity and ability to try unique designs, preferring me to follow a standard mold. Since I value my creativity, I new it was time to seek a job elsewhere.”
2. How did you learn about our job opening?
The interviewer wants to understand what specifically caught your eye about their job opening. In addition to where you found the job opening (such as on Indeed.com, Google, or through word of moth), you should also state the reason you wanted to apply in this job particularly.
This helps the interviewer see your interest and potential loyalty to their company.
To answer this question, one could state:
“I came across your job opening through searching on Google. I wanted to find product designer jobs that specialize in smart home products, and I was thrilled to see a job opening with a title that included this specialty. I instantly clicked on the job description, applied, and here we are today!”
3. Which of our company values do you identify with most? Why does that specific value appeal to you?
Company values are one of the most important elements of any team. They must be upheld by everyone on the team for a cohesive experience. The interviewer needs to ensure you have the same vision as the rest of the team so you fit in well.
To do this, ensure that you acknowledge all the values the company has as important, but choose one that has a unique personal meaning to you. To find these values, try looking at the company’s website or job description.
To answer this question, you can say something along the lines of:
“All of the values you have described on your website are absolutely important, do it is difficult to chose just one. However, I would say that authenticity is the most meaningful to me. I have always had to hide my personal identity being a member of the LGBTQ community, being discriminated against by even my family and friends. It is extremely valuable to be seen as valid by my work community, and authenticity helps us embrace each other for who we truly are.”
4. Tell us about yourself with four adjectives.
Almost every interview has some version of the ‘tell us about yourself’ question. It is good to know a few top words to describe yourself, and you will likely use them.
You should answer by stating words related to your top strengths, skills, and personality traits. If you struggle with understanding your personality or strengths, try taking an online assessment and writing down a few of the results.
A sample answer could be:
“If I were to describe myself, I would use the words passionate, hard-working, organized, and loyal. I believe that my success will come through hard work, and I am passionate about design. I have been in this industry for 5 years and I love it as much as I did on day 1, probably even more! I also believe that loyalty is an important part of any relationship, and on organization, you will never see a stray paper on my desk. Organization is second nature to me.”
5. Tell us about your strengths.
You just understand your strengths to truly appeal to the interviewer. Many individuals struggle with this, as they do not want to appear to arrogant but also do not want to downplay their abilities. To discover your strengths, consider taking a quick online personality or strengths assessment.
Then, write down some of the results. Do not be afraid to state these strengths, as they are key to the interview. Make sure to substantiate your strength claims by giving some examples of your strengths in action.
One way to answer this question is:
“I would say my top strengths are leadership, creativity, and stress resistance. During my last job, I was the top team manager for the project design department, bringing in the most sales. I would also assist people with many design projects, and I would always try to think of creative ways to solve problems my fellow coworkers encountered. At one point, we had to work with a client whose contract with us was worth over $50 million, so we did not have room for error. I was able to mitigate my stress effectively, and the customer ended up being more than satisfied with our designs.”
7. Tell us about your primary flaws.
There is no such thing as a perfect person or a perfect employee. Thus, you should be willing to openly discuss your flaws, just as you openly discuss your strengths.
When stating your flaws, ensure that these weaknesses are not in opposition to the strengths that are outlined in the role’s description.
This would make you seem like a candidate who is not suitable for the role. You should also not answer with ‘positive weaknesses’ such as “I work too hard.”
To answer this question, you could say:
“One of my main flaws or weaknesses is my ability to see the big picture. Often, I will be so focused on all the little details of my projects that I spend to much time on activities that are not essential to my projects. I have been trying to create goals that keep me working at a quicker pace, but I will still occasionally get bogged down with my obsession over details.”
8. What are your top goals as a product designer?
Employers want employees to be ambitious and goal-oriented. This is an opportunity to share some of those primary goals, and give the interviewer a peek into what motivates you as an employee.
These goals should at least be somewhat aligned with the company’s overall goals, but they should some include some specific personal goals that are unique to you. By highlighting both of these types of goals, the interviewer will see your passion and ambition.
To answer this question, you could say:
“My top goal as a product designer is to create products that are loved by my customers. I want to see customers smiling, and see the impact my designs have on people and the world as a whole. One of my personal goals for this year is to develop a product design that is used for a major brand partnership, such as one that is worth over $10 million annually.”
9. How did you become interested in product design?
Everyone has a unique path that led them to become a product designer. Whether you were inspired by a certain product you saw on the market or through listening to other product designers, you should highlight what made you first fall in love with design.
Some designers have this interest since they were kids, while for others, the passion comes later in life. The interviewer will appreciate a genuine account of your product design journey.
A sample answer could be:
“I have always had an interest in design. For as long as I could remember, I was always drawing and making sketches. However, what truly made me realize a career in design was right for me was when I interviewed a designer for a school project. They should me numerous products their company made from their designs, and it made me realize the power of design. It was beautiful that my designs could actually be actualized and used to transform the world.”
10. Do you have any queries about this job?
The majority of an interview is about the interviewer getting to know you. You do not typically think about asking the interviewer questions back, but this question gives you the perfect opportunity to do so.
Do not shy away from asking a question or two. It will show that you are engaged in the interview and curious about the company as well as the position you are applying to. This reflects positively on you as a candidate.
To answer this question, you could say something along the lines of:
“I do have a question: what is the average value of one partnership with your company? Which types of companies to you most commonly work with? Since you are such a diverse company with many clients, I just wanted to get a clearer picture of the people I may have as clients.”
11. Would you like to know anything else about our organization?
This question is similar to the query described above. However, this one is more specific to the organization as a whole. For instance, you could ask a question clarifying the company’s values.
If you want to learn more about the company’s founding, this would be a fantastic time to do so. If you want to learn more about particular policies, this is the opportunity to do so. Do not shy away from this chance!
One way you could answer the question is like this:
“I would just like to know a bit more about the company values. On your website, you list independence as one of your top priorities. Does this mean that you give many opportunities for independent designs? Do your team members work solo most of the time?”
12. Do you have any training and education in the field of product design?
Most companies prefer to have employees who have education and experience in their respective fields. This does not mean you have to have a college degree necessarily, but it may be helpful.
You should highlight your educational experience and training. Include certifications as well. Your education can only be used to help you during an interview, so ensure you are specific and honest.
To answer this question, you could say something along the lines of:
“I do have a formal education background in product design. I got my college Bachelor of Arts degree 10 years ago in design, specializing in digital work. I have also attended numerous conferences and training camps for digital designers in particular, and have gotten certification from the organizations hosting those boot camps.”
13. Are you passionate about learning? What makes you passionate, if you are?
Every company wants their employees to be lifelong learners. They do not want individuals who are stagnant and close-minded running key parts of their business.
This type of close-mindedness leads fo companies being stuck in the past and a lack of creativity, the exact opposite of what one desires from a designer. On the other hand, lifelong learners are adaptable and keep up with the constantly changing nature of the design industry.
To answer this question, you might say:
“I am immensely passionate about learning, and I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I have seen the negative consequences of not being open-minded and failing to learn from my prior jobs. My manager was stubborn and did not listen to any of his team member’s inputs. Then, when the customer report of the design came back, the customer had the same criticisms and proposals that we had. I realized that if he had listened, we would have saved thousands of dollars and numerous weeks of time. I proposed to always listen and learn from others from that day on.”
14. How many years have you been designing products?
This is a fairly straightforward question. You should simply state how long you have been in this industry. However, it is helpful if your could give some more insight to the interviewer beyond just stating a number.
For instance, you could state how you had experience with design before you officially became a designer. And, you should specifically state what you were doing for those years as a designer (working on tech product design, graphic design, fashion products, etc).
A sample answer could be:
“I have been in the design industry for the last 12 years. As a junior designer, I focused around mainly graphic design. I even did some CAD work. However, as I matured as a designer and learned about my key interests, I decided to specialize in designing upscale home appliances, such as lamps.”
15. Do you prefer to work alone or in a team?
A preference is a preference. There is not necessarily a right answer. However, you should realize that as a designer, you will likely need to work in a team for a majority of the time. Nonetheless, there will also be times when independent work is crucial.
So, answer honestly, but ensure you highlight that you can perform both types of work. Employers like to hire individuals who can work in a diverse range of settings and with a diverse range of individuals.
To answer this question, your response could be:
“I prefer to work on a team. This way, I can perform the specific tasks I do best and let other team members do what they do best. Typically, the best products are created through collaboration, since everyone has unique skills. However, I have also had success working alone, and I am more than willing to work solo when I need to. I prefer having more human interaction during my work, though.”
16. Do you have any leadership experience?
Leadership experience is great to have when applying for a job. It can help separate you from the many other job applicants. If you have leadership experience, make sure you make this clear during the interview.
State the specific type of team you led and the success you had in doing so. Be specific with how your leadership impacted that team and their customers positively. However, if you do not have leadership experience, do not fret and be honest.
One way you could answer this question is:
“I do have leadership experience. In fact, about 3 out of the 12 years I have been in this industry, I have held a leadership position. At my last job, I was the chief product manager for my team, and I had to oversee the different designs my employees were creating. Ultimately, the design we chose as a team was up to me, but I always listened to employees. In the end, clients often noted that our designs were unique, and we even acquired 20% more clients than comparable agencies.”
17. Tell us about the skills and knowledge you acquired through your work experience and formal education.
Employers want to hire individuals who are constantly learning. When you answer this question, the interviewer gets a better idea of how well you learn and your top skills.
Both of these factors are crucial to them when deciding who to hire. Be specific with the skills you acquired and how you acquired them, and try to also highlight how that may benefit the company’s existing team.
For instance, you could say:
“Through my over decade of customer interactions and working as a designer, I realized that unique designs almost always attract more customer than the standard ‘tried and true’ designs. I also realized the importance of being able to change designs to fit the customer’s unique needs, and that staying humble is ultimately key to long term success as a designer.”
18. Do you have certifications in the product design field?
Outside of getting a degree, many product designers also acquire certifications. Certifications are simply proof that you went through a certain training and acquired certain skills, such as design skills.
If you acquired them through college or through another source, tell the interviewer about your product design certifications and how they impact your work.
To answer this question, you could say something along the lines of:
“Yes, I do have a certification in the product design field. I acquired this certification for product design 2 years ago when I was completely new to the industry and straight out of college. It allowed me to get my feet wet with this industry, and helped spark the love I have for design.”
19. Have you ever spoken with other experts in the product design field? What did you discuss?
One of the greatest ways to learn about any field is by asking already experienced and successful individuals from that field about their experiences.
If you have experience doing this, then tell the interviewer about that. It will reveal that you are a curious individual who is willing to learn and adapt their knowledge of the world, and of design especially. It shows you have a growth-oriented mindset, too.
A potential answer to the query could be:
“Yes, I have spoken with numerous past designers. As a young designer still in college, I attended a networking session where a met someone who is a mentor to me to this day. He helped me get comfortable with experimenting and trying different designs. In addition, he also helped me discover that I am most interested in designing fashion products.”
20. In your past work, did you ever create user personas?
A user persona is an outline of your customer’s values, needs, goals, and personality. It helps you better understand what your customer would want in your product, so you can base your design on those needs and thus attract more customers.
If you have experience doing this, state this to the interviewer. Individuals who know how to create user personas typically know more about how to attract and work with customers than those who do not.
Your answer could be something along the lines of:
“In my past work, I have always created customer personas before starting a design. I plan to continue doing this as I start my new job as well. Customer personas help me better understand my clients and hone my focus on the specific designs I need to include to satisfy my customers. This strategy has been successful for me in the past, and I think it will continue to help me work well with clients in the future.”
21. Have you used user journey maps to help you with the design process? Do you believe you will continue using them in the future?
Just like user personas are a key tool used by many designers, so are user journey maps. User journey maps help you understand how your client would find your company, what makes them attracted to the product, how they would use the product, and what makes them interested in buying from your company again.
Using user journey maps shows you are customer-oriented and think in the long term, both great qualities to have as a candidate.
A sample answer would be:
“Yes, I often incorporate user journey maps into my planning process before I start a design. I want to make sure that the products I create are aligned with the customer’s needs. In addition, I try to think about the long term customer journey, and I want to make sure the products I develop make the user interested in buying other complementary items.”
22. What is your preferred type of design thought process, if you have one?
Most individuals work best when they have a specific design process in mind. Every person has a unique way of thinking, and this applies to design as well. If your design thinking style aligns with the process the interviewer has in mind for the ideal candidate, you will be for more likely to acquire the role.
To answer this question, you can say something along the lines of:
“My preferred design thought process goes like this: idea, concept, design, and then taking action. First, I create plans and try to understand what the customer needs from my product. Then, I start to gather materials. After that, I try to implement parts of my plan to create the best product I could make.”
23. When you create prototypes, do you use A/B testing?
There are a plethora of different ways to ensure you create a create product. One way to ensure you create a great product is by using A/B testing. This way, you can test two different prototypes and see which one works most efficiently for your goals.
As a result, you can show the interviewer that you are someone who is interested in finding the best products for your clients. It shows your interest in your work and your ability to satisfy customers.
One way to answer this question is:
“Yes, I am very fond of using A/B testing methods. A/B testing methods has helped me problem solve in a much more efficient way. Since trying to implement more A/B testing in my work, I have found a plethora of positive outcomes that followed. Clients reported better designs and they stuck by our company for far longer as well.”
24. Which designs tools are you skilled in using?
Employers wish to hire individuals who already know how to use multiple commonly used design tools. For example, if you are a digital designer, you should probably know how to use Abode and the Google suite.
To find out which specific tools you need to know how to use, simply look at the job description. You could also ask some friends if they have experience in the industry. Having the ability to use such technology makes you more efficient and productive.
To answer his question, you could say:
“I often used the Abode suite to create sketches for my designs. I have used this tool to create outlines and even finalize designs. In additional, I also know how to use CAD tools and the Google Suite. I have recently been trying to use VR technologies to experiment with new design processes, too, although this has been a new venture for me.”
25. How do you decide which features to add to digital products and how do you understand the way in which customers use these features?
Understanding how customers will use your product is crucial. This is so because if your customer does not know how to use a product, the plethora of unique features you added will not matter.
So, you need to make sure you highlight how you connect the design process with your customer’s needs. In addition, you should also give an overview for how you make design decisions.
You can answer this query by stating some such as: “I typically decide which features to add to my sketches by asking customers directly.
Sometimes, other departments would already collect that data for me. Then, once I get the data from customers, I begin to make a list of features that should be added to my sketches.”
26. Do your strengths shine best when designing digital or physical products?
When you apply to a job, the interviewer knows you have strengths and weaknesses. You will be more skilled in performing certain jobs when compared to others.
Therefore, to be efficient and perform the job to the best to your abilities, you should focus more on designing either digital or physical products. You should openly and honestly state your preference, and this would show your humbleness and awareness of your ability.
To answer your question, you could state:
“I prefer to design digital products. When I use digital design tools, I seem to create products that are more unique. There are many different unique tools I can use to create digital products, which I enjoy using. I also prefer to create digital products because I have more experience with that.”
Pro Tip From HIGH5
When answering interview questions, weave in examples that showcase your HIGH5 strengths. If ‘Empathy’ is a top strength, describe how you’ve used it to better understand user needs and create more user-friendly designs.
Questions for You to Ask in a Product Design Job Interview
After learning about the plethora of different questions you could be asked during an interview, you are likely feeling much more confident about the interview process. This is one of the top benefits of doing the preparation.
However, an interview is about far more than just you being asked question, although it is one of the primary reason for having an interview. It is also about you asking queries to the interviewer as well to better understand the company you are applying to.
If you ask great questions, you will show how interested you are in the business and that you are an engaged individual. Some questions you could ask include:
- What is the timeline you have in mind for hiring a candidate?
- Who will be my manager?
- What administrative tools does your company utilize?
- How do you train new hires?
- Do you have performance reviews at your company? If so, how often?
- Which style of management do you employ at your organization?
- How would you describe an ideal candidate for this role?
How To Prepare for a Product Design Job Interview
While familiarizing yourself with potential interview questions is crucial, there’s another powerful tool you can add to your preparation arsenal: the HIGH5 strengths assessment. This assessment goes beyond traditional interview prep by helping you identify your unique strengths and how they apply to product design. For instance, if you discover that ‘Strategic Thinking’ is one of your top strengths, you can prepare examples of how you’ve used this ability to plan and execute long-term design projects. Understanding your strengths allows you to craft more compelling responses that showcase your natural talents. Moreover, it helps you align your strengths with the job requirements, demonstrating to potential employers not just what you can do, but how your unique abilities can add value to their team. By incorporating this strengths-based approach into your preparation, you’re not just readying yourself for an interview; you’re positioning yourself as a candidate who brings a unique and valuable perspective to the role.
First of all, you need to truly understand the questions you read about. Do not just read the questions to get aware of them.
Rather, you should create a small draft of your potential answer to accompany each of these key questions. We have already provided a comprehensive list of questions you may be asked above.
In addition, you should try to learn as much as you can about the company you are applying to. To do this, you should ask some of your coworkers and friends who previously worked at the organization to describe their experiences. Try to write down some notes they give you about how the interview went and some queries that were asked.
Finally, you should study the company’s website. Look at their social media channels, too, and be sure you understand everything the job description states. Get to know the company culture and values as well as you can before you enter the interview. This will make you seem prepared and passionate.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
Create a strengths-based portfolio. Highlight projects that showcase your top HIGH5 strengths in action. This will help you tell a cohesive story about your unique value as a product designer during the interview.
Product Designer Interview Questions FAQ
How do I prepare for a product designer interview?
There are numerous ways you could prepare for an interview. For instance, you should start by reviewing the many different questions you could be asked during a product designer interview.
You could view the top questions and potential answers described in this article as a starting point. In addition to this, you should also read over the job description and ensure you understand the skills you must have to impress the interviewer.
Finally, read over the company’s website and speak to others who used to work for the company to get additional details on the interview process and about the company’s values.
What are the 3 F’s of product design?
When someone refers to the 3 F’s of design, they are most likely speaking about form, fit, and function. Keeping these 3 F’s in mind when you create products helps you ensure that you maximize the product’s quality and that the product appeals to your consumer base.
Form refers to the product’s shape and other parameters like it’s height, width, length, color, strength, and so on.
Fit describes how the parts of the product interact with one another (for instance, how a screw and and cylindrical component of the product fit).
Finally, the function would be what each part of the product is meant to do (such as a sheet being placed on top of a compartment to prevent it from breaking).
What are the 5 elements of product design?
Individuals can break down the design process into many different elements.
One way to do this is to break the process into 5 elements. One, it must be an authentic, with a clear purpose in mind as well.
Second, the product should be unique and differentiated from other products on the market. After all, there needs to be a reason for the user to choose your product over your product over others.
Third, you must recognize that only effective and seamless long-term experiences win customers in the long run, and incorporate this into your designs.
Fourth, focus on one thing that you do really well. If you specialize, you can become known for being excellent in that particular field (the benefit of expertise).
And finally, you must be able to adapt and solve your customer’s pain points while catching the user’s interests.
