What a design interview actually probes
Expect a portfolio walkthrough to anchor most of the conversation, where you're asked to present a project from problem to final design and explain specific decisions along the way, including ones you'd change now. A critique exercise usually follows, handing you a screen or flow you didn't design and asking what you'd change and why, testing judgment that isn't rehearsed.
Process questions round things out: how you move from a rough problem statement to a first draft, how you know when something's actually done, and how you handle feedback you disagree with. Interviewers pay close attention to how you talk about your own weaker decisions, since that's harder to fake than a strong highlight reel.
Question types to expect
Portfolio walkthrough
Presenting and defending real past work, including decisions you'd now reconsider, testing depth over polish.
- Walk me through a project in your portfolio from problem to final design.
- What's a decision in your portfolio you'd make differently now?
- Show me a project where you had the least creative freedom, and how you handled it.
Critique
Live feedback on unfamiliar work, testing design judgment on the spot rather than rehearsed answers about your own projects.
- Critique the checkout flow of an app you use often.
- Here's a screen. What's the first thing you'd change, and why?
- How do you give feedback on a design you fundamentally disagree with?
Process
How you actually work, from a vague problem statement to a shipped decision, including how you handle disagreement along the way.
- Walk me through how you go from a rough problem statement to a first draft.
- How do you decide when a design is done versus needs another round?
- Tell me about a time user research changed a design you were confident in.
Collaboration
How you work alongside engineering and product day to day, testing whether your process holds up once other functions are pulling in different directions.
- Tell me about a time an engineering constraint changed a design after you'd already presented it.
- How do you handle a product manager who wants to ship a version of your design you think is worse?
- Walk me through how you'd hand off a finished design to engineering.
How Intervieux helps you prepare
The resume-based interview type builds questions around your own past work, so a portfolio-style practice conversation is grounded in the actual projects on your resume rather than a made-up scenario. The comprehensive interview type pairs portfolio and process questions with a critique-style exercise in one session, closer to how a real design loop moves between the two without a hard break.
A written challenge format lets you practice a critique exercise the way it's usually run, responding to a specific screen or flow rather than describing your general approach to feedback.
Scoring covers five dimensions, and Communication and Cultural Fit both carry real weight for design specifically, since being able to explain a decision clearly, and disagree with feedback without getting defensive, are both part of what interviewers are actually screening for.
Practice, then apply
Practice privately, then apply for real
Practice sessions are private, giving you a chance to work through defending a portfolio decision or handling a critique before a real interviewer hears your first pass. Browsing and applying are both free on the board, and a single click puts you into a live AI screening interview built from that employer's own posting. Browse current design openings on the job board.
Frequently asked questions
Is my own portfolio or resume actually used in the practice interview?
Yes. The resume-based interview type builds its questions from your own past work, so a portfolio walkthrough practice session is grounded in your real projects rather than a generic scenario.
What's the point of a critique exercise if it's not my own work?
It tests design judgment on the spot, without the safety of a rehearsed explanation. Interviewers use unfamiliar work specifically to see how you reason in the moment.
How is Cultural Fit scored for a design interview?
Cultural Fit is one of five scored dimensions, and for design it often reflects how you respond to disagreement or feedback during a critique, alongside the usual team-fit signals interviewers look for.
Can I practice a written critique response, not just talk through it out loud?
Yes. The written challenge format lets you respond to a specific screen or flow directly, closer to how a real critique exercise is often run than describing your feedback verbally.
Will a design interview ask about working with engineering, not just design skill on its own?
Often, yes. Handing off a finished design and reacting to a technical constraint that forces a change are both common questions, since most design roles depend on that handoff working smoothly.
Related pages
Practice a design interview loop
Run a resume-based or comprehensive AI interview to work through your portfolio, a critique exercise, and process questions before an employer sees you.