If a client is nervous or worried then it’s your job to put them at ease. No matter what stage of their career, there will always be those challenges that every product designer strives to overcome in a meaningful way. It will shed light on their “design thinking” sensibility and their bar for quality and will speak volumes about what kind of product designer they are. Reflecting on past projects, they should mention details of how they set goals for the research and came up with a research plan, how the organizational aspect was approached, the recruiting of representative users—what kind of research questions they asked, and how the results were analyzed. Garnering quantitative data on how people use a website or an application plays an essential role in a product designer’s arsenal of product success evaluation tools. If you think I’ve missed anything. They may discuss new prototyping tools that save developers and designers time by converting the design to code, or may explain an evolving trend and how terrific it is to be at the forefront of technology. Proposals take time to research and write. This question can also open up further discussion if your client hasn’t thought too much about the problem. 1. Questions about the design project's scale, timeframe and budget; To facilitate the conversation, I'm using “company” as a global replacement for the client. Listen for extensive knowledge in quantitative product evaluation methods that capture large data sets from users to determine what issues there may be with the product, as well as what types of industry-standard analytics tools they use for product testing. It’s more important to listen for the why rather than give credence to names or which design guru it is. Every great product designer has at least a dozen books by design legends on their bookshelf, as well as favorite app designs that they appreciate because of the quality of the user experience. Or it could be that they haven’t updated their branding in years. Key concepts or methods used to carry out this process may include but are not limited to: competitive audits, stakeholder interviews, user personas, empathy maps, user research, content audits, minimum viable product (MVP) and Lean UX, information architecture, business model canvases, mood boards, storyboards, use case scenarios and user flows, customer journeys, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and usability testing. This is always a hard question to ask, and sometimes a hard one to answer. Knowing what a product or service currently does well is worthy of your attention. Client interview PDF. This allows us to ask the right customer interview questions and acquire rich insights that will drive the product design process further. This can prove to be especially tricky for designers who work remotely because direct access to their end users is limited. Product designers are the caretakers of the foundation upon which the business depends. Top 10 Must-Ask Interview Questions for Designers. Is UX design product design? Sure you can increase revenue by adding more users, but there are lots of ways to achieve this. This affects where you can help and tells you what’s at stake. I agree with the Terms and Conditions of Toptal, LLC's, hiring remains an art, a science — and a lot of work. A specific set of heuristics contains empirical rules of thumb, best practices, standards, and conventions that have been observed to work over long periods. Heuristic analysis is an evaluation method in which one or more experts compare a digital product’s design to a list of predefined design principles (commonly referred to as the heuristics) and identify where the product is not following those principles. I’d say probably not. These include but are not limited to: identifying and validating the problem, crafting a user research plan, guiding the product’s information architecture, content strategy, interaction design, visual design, UI design, UX design, and usability testing. If a client came to you via a referral then you’ll want to thank that person (even if the project doesn’t pan out). As with many other interview techniques however, the issue with thes… It’s best not to focus on the tool (Mixpanel, Pendo, Google Analytics, Optimizely, Adobe Target, etc.). A good product designer will help design products that work well across a variety of use cases across a wide range of audiences, from mobile to desktop, from sites to apps. language, phrases and terminology used by your client. Find top product designers today. Product design questions are common in product manager interviews at companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Be careful. They may have a challenge justifying their product design process to specific stakeholders—it may seem too costly and take too long. Knowing what these goals are can only come from your client. She's led many international teams spanning the globe, delivering top-notch product and application designs using the latest technology platforms. If you're not solving a problem, why are you talking? Take notice if the designer is aware of and follows the World Wide Web Consortium’s ”Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.” Have they performed an accessibility analysis on a previous project? Gathering, analyzing, and translating both qualitative and quantitative user data into “actionable insights” may pose another challenge. If you don’t think you can actually improve a client’s business, should you even take on the project? You’d be a fool to send a proposal without knowing if your client can afford to work with you. So get it out of the way as early as possible. Some client feedback may be for compelling business reasons. Then, there is a product usability evaluation method called a “heuristic evaluation.” A heuristic evaluation identifies a product’s common usability issues so that the problems can be solved, consequently improving the user’s satisfaction and experience and raising the chances of a digital product’s success overall. If you want just once piece of advice for your interview, this is it—don’t start an interview without a prepared discussion guide. What is a product survey? When trying to solve design problems, UX designers are primarily concerned with the functionalities and aesthetics of a product that make up “the experience.” Product design goes beyond that; it considers human moments in context and incorporates all aspects of a product’s ecosystem. But without asking these sometimes awkward questions it’s impossible to know. Also read: Top 7 Ways to Discover a Great Place to Work. 1. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, she moved her freelance business from Portland, Oregon, the US to Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2011; where she currently resides. Everything else is secondary. This question should help you understand more about a product designer’s process. Product designers also turn to analytics to gather existing user data or to evaluate how a product performs and make product design adjustments. They may also talk about moderated user testing and unmoderated remote user testing. It could be something as simple as an offhand remark made by a friend that turned into insecurity. First, they would talk about the discovery/problem definition phase, where they carried out comprehensive research to uncover insights into the source of the problem. What you want to hear: One of the candidates I interviewed delivered a good answer: This showed he really knew what he was doing. Airbnb question– Defend specifics about type choice, color choice, aesthetic v. usability, etc in your portfolio It's a sure way to hit the ground running. There are many analytics tools and methods available that capture user behavior, e.g., eye-tracking, click-tracking heatmaps, and time-to-task-completion indicators. Short of inventing a time machine, there’s no guaranteed method, which makes your interview one of the most important tools you have to vet customer service and support candidates. During product manager interviews, most companies love to hone in on your ability to execute against these responsibilities by asking how you might think about designing a product. Design thinking is a method for the generation of solutions and a practical, creative resolution of problems. Don’t waste time on a client that’s going to say no anyway. Did they employ some form of “objectives and key results” (OKR) methodology? A healthy ROI doesn’t always need to be quantitative either. They go on to inform you that they’re not getting enough trial users into the system, but then say their goal is to increase revenue. Andrew Hwang's answer covers a lot of what we explore in our phone interviews, but there are a few important additions that one might encounter onsite, with us or elsewhere. Look for a product designer who understands how to measure appropriately by selecting the minimum number of subjects needed to gain a strong understanding of the research, and comprehends what they are testing and seeking to understand. They should come up with “personas” (the core users of a product), define when and how to do surveys, distill research findings, conduct field visits and interviews, report their research findings, create wireframes and prototypes, conduct usability testing, and, in order to make further improvements, analyze quantitative user data once a product is released. Or if you have any doozies you always include in your own client interviews, then feel free to share them below in the comments. Designing digital products that can be used anywhere is paramount to a product’s success. You may be surprised at the real reasons behind a project. 1. Who are their role models? It’s critical that a product designer works closely with the marketing team and understands what they do and why they do it. Most of all, it’s not about technology; it’s about solving problems for people in new and efficient ways. The designer would inquire why and make sure the client understands that design decisions are based on sound principles—color theory, for example—and not subjective opinion. Never show up late to an interview or cancel without appropriate notice. What does it mean to be a great product designer? You want your client to succeed, and you also want to use this data to land future business. If you want to be the go-to person then you need to make sure your work improves people’s businesses. This question will also give you insight into what could be some of the underlying problems. Empathizing with people often means engaging in in-depth user research to solve problems. How do they advocate for those mentioned above in making their case? The more you know about your client, their project and concerns, the better you can advise. A seasoned product designer should be able to elaborate on how they think of and engage user research, which, in essence, drives human-centered design. Lastly, they would have reached into their product design toolkit and used wireframes and prototypes (among other things) to explore potential product design solutions. For example, the client may feel that an oversimplified solution misses valuable opportunities for revenue-generating ad placement. While working on projects with no particular goal will pay the bills for a while, it won’t establish you as a leader in your sector. Submitted questions and answers are subject to review and editing, and may or may not be selected for posting, at the sole discretion of Toptal, LLC. You need to know that you can make the project a success. These questions can feel really unsettling at first. He asked for additional practice questions for the product design portion of the PM interview. Is the client subjective as in, “I don’t like that color”? Success can mean many things: More signups, more people on their mailing list, more revenue, or a lower churn rate. Closing a contract is all about allaying fears. In today’s post we’ll look at 10 questions you should ask in your next client interview. It’s about uncovering insights into the unmet needs of your target audience. Eric is an award-winning designer with a strategic approach focused on products with more than ten years of experience. How did they set out to come up with a solution? Great product designers seek to create experiences that work for specific audiences and use analytics and research data to compile a set of actionable insights and hypotheses. It’s a form of solution-based or solution-focused thinking, with the intent of producing a constructive future result. For me, a well-designed product is simple and user-centric. What does the term “design thinking” mean to you? At the core of a design mindset is the ability to empathize, together with the ability to formulate great questions. It’s great as inspiration when creating your own, or ready to use when taking on a new project. Listen for the why, the methods they used, and what measurements they took. Accordingly, they should be able to back up their designs based on those mentioned above. Five Interview Questions To Ask Every Product Manager Candidate. Here is the ultimate list of Product Design product manager interview questions and answers to prepare you for your PM job interview. A product manager’s core job is to help design… A way in which they like and feel comfortable with. Describe your product design process and what methods you follow. Here are ten open-ended customer interview questions I have in my arsenal that have worked well for me over the years when engaging with prospects and customers on products including ProductPlan. If anything is unclear, ask the receptionist for specific driving or parking details prior to the meeting. Through user testing, they would have validated ideas and hypotheses focused on obtaining significant business value from the solutions achieved by optimal product design. When a client says, “I don’t like this design,” what do you do? When you interview, you are selling yourself and your ability to produce great work. They may talk about new use cases beyond screens—or how designing for accessibility is an area of interest for them. If a client doesn’t trust you to cure whatever problem they face, then you’ll have a hard time being successful. For example, your potential client informs you of the following; But of course the implications can run far deeper. I don't want to waste your time with some crazy proposal”. Here are ten questions to help you discover if a designer has the conceptual and collaborative skills, attitude, and—of course—the design mojo, to be a part of your creative team. What “lenses” do they use when conducting user research? If they don’t have a clearly defined goal, do all you can to help them find that goal. Forewarned is forearmed. She’s a talented designer and has a great feel for user experience. The Product Manager Interview: 167 Actual Questions and Answers: This is the second edition of Lewis C. Lin’s book – previously titled The Product Manager Interview 164 Actual Questions and Answers – a great resource for both budding and seasoned product managers. Softening the tone can help a client feel more comfortable, and giving a budget range isn't as scary as a definitive dollar amount. We are examining facets. You can see that their goals don’t necessarily relate to the problem they’ve come to you for. A good product designer would listen patiently and incorporate the feedback into the next iteration, understanding that arriving at the optimal design is a balancing act between business needs, technical feasibility, and the designer’s desire to create the best product design. Clients are afraid that you’ll max out their budget, whatever it is. In fact it could be anything, as long as there's a way to measure it. Not only do you want a potential hire to understand that, but you also want them to explain how they’ve applied this knowledge in their previous work. 1. Most of all, it’s a “people first” approach—a design process mindset that designs products around people’s needs, motivations, and behaviors. Toptal can match you with the best designers to finish your project. By digging deep on these initial questions you’ll uncover all sorts of issues. Who are your design heroes? This piece is a part of ‘ The Career Strategist ’ blog series This is the second installment of a three-part interview series with some of the designers we have at Hired. Employers are looking for bright minded individuals with a passion for innovation and problem solving. How do they overcome these obstacles? Accessibility is a big topic for product designers, especially as screens begin to shrink, and we consume and engage with digital content wherever we go. Please describe how you test your product designs, what methodologies you use, and how you evaluate product usability. Perhaps more importantly, without a proposal your client has no idea whether you understand their problem. We’ve previously discussed user experience design with Kelly Gagnon, a UX Design Lead here. If a client is happy to give a ball park, or top-end number. The answer will help you discover what kind of product designer you may be hiring. Why you should ask: Product Design is an extremely interdisciplinary domain connecting business, psychology, technical skills, and so on. Whereas user research typically focuses on qualitative data, analytics focuses on quantitative data. It is about designing an experience holistically, where “the whole is considered more than the sum of its parts,” and maintaining this bias throughout the consumer lifecycle, along with all the touchpoints where a user will be interacting with a product. The product manager acts as the voice of the customer to the business team, engineering team and design team. Listen for answers that include a discussion around empathy—things like “walking a mile in a customer’s shoes” (customer journeys) and a human-centered, goal-driven approach to designing products. Know what works, what doesn’t and why. Listen for the product designer who describes “design thinking” as a user-centered design process. A wiser man than I once said “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. into a customizable, editable PDF. Did they conduct structured, one-on-one interviews with users while they tried specific tasks with product prototypes? Listen for how a product designer keeps up with the industry—such as following design podcasts, reading design blogs and books, attending design conferences, webinars, and online training courses for ongoing learning, and more. The right interview questions reveal useful information because they force interviewees to think on their feet and draw on their experiences. It’s common for a client to come to you with a request; a new website, a redesign, an update to their codebase…But on many occasions they give little to no information about the reasons behind their request. It’s essential to ask the right questions in order to come up with reliable solutions; and to ask great questions, designers need to be able to empathize with people and gather relevant information through in-depth research. Successful product analysis will result in an actionable list of tweaks and enhancements that once implemented, will show measurable improvement to the product’s user experience. If you go in guns-a-blazing and end up disappointed, you only have yourself to blame. What’s an example of great design (digital or physical)? A product designer who thinks ahead will be an invaluable asset to your company. For instance, your interviewer might ask, "How would you design a phone for deaf people?" Please provide some examples of your experience dealing with HCD (human-centered design). Listen for passion and knowledge. User testing—which is part of a user-centered design philosophy—is one of the most important aspects of a designer’s job. However, she doesn’t take into account that for the last 12 months her client’s users have been creating reports in a certain way. They may also mention conducting user testing—moderated or unmoderated, remote or in-person—multivariate testing, A/B testing, eye tracking, click-tracking heatmaps, and other quantitative analytics. Product designers assess which will have the most impact on conversion rates and create wireframes and designs that feed into development. Describe a recent product design project you were particularly challenged by and how you approached the problem. The client interview (which is a part of the larger creative brief) is a necessary piece of every successful project. "A product is well-designed when it's simple, intuitive and promises what it delivers. For example, how many people converted to paying customers, moved through the onboarding process, clicked on a signup button, or set up 1-click ordering? Don’t wreck your client’s service in the process. How do they align their work with that of the goals of the business, the company’s brand, and marketing efforts? It helps them accomplish their job more quickly, so they’d try and reduce even more unneeded steps in the workflow. Share: Share Tweet Share Pin It. If a certain channel is bringing you more leads than another, work it even harder. He's worked with various startups in the US and the UK as a contractor or freelancer. Again, it’s the why that’s important—listen carefully for what it is in the product’s design that makes these their favorite apps. First and foremost, human-centered design is all about understanding your users. Explain why. This is especially true when crafting identity systems, as few projects hinge so directly on the ability to listen, ask questions, and process the answers. Design your interview questions. Did they interface with C-level executives and company marketing teams to better understand the business goals, their customers, and what the product is trying to solve? A product manager's core responsibilities include working with a team to design, build, ship, and continuously improve a product. You’re good to go… or not. Please note that submitted questions and answers are subject to review and editing, and may or may not be selected for posting, at the sole discretion of Toptal, LLC. Product designer Artiom Dashinsky, author of Solving Product Design Exercises, argues that a lot of designers think the role of design is mostly around aesthetics, and that design schools, visual-centric design communities, and businesses hiring designers are responsible. 1: Why do you need this new [insert product or service]? A qualitative return can be just as valid. For example, convincing a company they need more in-depth user research before a product is designed, or incorporating proper usability testing during a product design lifecycle can be difficult. For example, did they employ remote moderated user testing or a form of remote research methodology in order to listen to users and arrive at better design solutions? This is a great resource for web design questions and even those suggestions being mentioned in the comments! Walk in their shoes and understand why they’re looking for a design solution in the first place. The fundamental purpose of product testing is to better understand, and empathize with, the core users of a product. Product Questions to Ask Throughout Your Product Development Life Cycle If a client tells you they need to redesign their marketing campaign, you need to know why, right? But before you get anywhere near a proposal, you need information, and the only person who can give you this information is your client. How did they choose a success metric? An app or a website should be simple enough to facilitate a clear end goal or user task, and innovative approaches should be used to ensure a user with a disability can interact with the product. Nevertheless, here are a few to take note of: Dieter Rams (German industrial designer at Braun), Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive (Apple), Don Norman (best known for his books on design, especially The Design of Everyday Things), Steve Krug, and Alan Cooper. The design thinking process can be broken down into five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. What are some of the biggest trends in the product design field? In his career, he's done the entire project life cycle from user research and user testings to creating user flows, wireframes, UIs, and prototypes. If I was to take Nusii as an example, I’d say our priority is to help customers win more proposals. Try framing the question as, “Do you have a budget range in mind? However, good product designers have a method of focusing on the most impactful elements and teasing out the most significant return on investment. A seasoned, experienced product designer balances business goals and technical constraints with creating the best user experience possible. The term “design thinking” is often synonymous with human-centered design (HCD). Proposals are fundamental to the success of any new client project. Is the client subjective as in, “I don’t like that color”? Is your client looking to make more money, generate leads, increase trial signups, heighten brand awareness or annoy their ex-business partner? Moderated testing is when the tester (usually the product designer) is present and able to guide and observe how a participant is using the product. Bringing a new client onboard isn’t a quick and easy process. By applying these product design methodologies and learning directly from users, each of the techniques mentioned above can play an essential role in the creation of a product that users will love. In any project there will always be primary, secondary and even tertiary goals. If they found you via an article you wrote, a product you created or a Google search, you'll want to know…. Listen for how they’d define a successful test, i.e., what key revelations were gathered and how the data was distilled into practical, actionable insights. Discrepancies between what a brand promises and what the product delivers are, ultimately, what will cause a business to fail. While there is no right or wrong answer, a good product designer should have extensive knowledge about the product design process and possess a “design mindset.” Product design is not just about nice-looking screens, it’s about finding the best solutions for the businesses they serve and the end users. Again this goes back to knowing how you can help. Look up the location in advance and be early. UX designers focus on investigating behavioral patterns, explore the multitude of ways in which an application might solve a user need, and then set out to optimize a digital product’s user experience. Knowing why a client is beginning a project can change everything that comes after. Consumers should be able to use it out of the box without thumbing through a hundred pages in a manual. They can also foster creativity and innovation within an organization, and can help teams align and unite. Walk me through a product design example where you set out to solve a business problem. The Design Thinking Process Using Great Questions. Design Recruiter at Facebook Carl Wheatley shares a few essential questions you should come prepared to ask in your next product design interview. Testing product designs is also a vital aspect of human-centered design. Ultimately it’s on you to find out what your client needs. Here are 34 Product manager interview questions to prepare you for your next interview. Looking for Product experts? Seasoned product designers have likely been developing their approach to the design process and will vary from one designer to another. A great product designer should be able to demonstrate knowledge describing the differences, in particular how UX design is only one slice of the product design process and only one of many different disciplines that reside under the product design banner. For usability testing, the designer should discuss the methodologies they used. Product Design is one of the most common questions to expect in a Product Manager Interview. Using a case study, a great product designer would demonstrate the understanding that they’re not just designing an interface, a website, or an app, but also a way to solve a business problem. 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