7 effective questions to ask when hiring your next designer

It has never been easier to hire a world-class designer than today. With remote becoming the norm, no matter your location you have access to a huge talent pool. But every coin has two sides and with a lot of great designers come also a lot of mediocre or right out bad applicants. 

You may have experience in the general interview questions you will ask him to make sure it's a cultural fit. But what are the key questions you can ask to find the best possible designer? The following seven will give you a clear picture if this person is the right fit for your company. 

"Explain your role as a designer on a multidisciplinary team in the product development process. "

A good designer should never think in a silo. He needs to keep each stakeholder and requirement in mind trough-out the process. That's why he should have a clear picture of this role and responsibilities and be able to explain them. A product designer for example should be able to show how he can most effectively hand over designs to the development team. Let him explain the whole product development process to you in his own words. After asking him what part is his favorite to work on and where he could improve. This will make sure that the tasks that await him in your company fit his skillset and passion.

"What has most changed your workflow in the past year? "

The role of a digital product designer is quite a young and fast-moving field. Over the past few years, there have been dozens of different tools released into the wild. This makes it even more important than in other fields to stay on top of new developments. It is a definite red flag if the designer has not changed one thing in his workflow in the past year. This also assures that he is open to always learning and growing in an ever-changing profession. 

"Where do you find inspiration?"

With countless publications, image boards, and apps there is always something to discover. A downside of most communities is that they are quick to follow new trends. This can lead to subpar design trends establishing. If a designer follows those without understanding the trade-offs you will have a product that works worse than if it's built on a solid design foundation. A good sign is always when inspiration comes from outside the usual sources. Some of my favorites include nature, vintage electronics design, and books.

"How will you handle situations that have a conflicting business, development, and user goal."

A designer should be the user advocate of your company. No matter what he is working on he should make sure to always have the best interest of the users in mind. This is not always easy. Sometimes business, development, and user goals are conflicting in more than one way. In these situations, a great designer will shine the most. He can not only communicate quickly and effectively with each stakeholder but also find the best possible compromises.

"What was one design decision that had the biggest impact on a project."

Has the designer a proven quantifiable track record? It's hard to find exact KPIs and how design changes affected them for a creative-driven designer. That's why a design portfolio with numbers and stats included is a very good sign. Most designers think their job is finished once the designs are handed over to the developers. But keeping track of changes that the design accomplished shows that the designer will follow through and adjust if needed. 

"Did you bring ideas or changes that would improve our product?"

This is one of my favorite signs that he is a dedicated designer. It shows that he took time before the interview to have at least a look at your product and think about it. Even better if then as a fresh pair of eyes he has some creative ideas on how to improve it. 

Examples are how a button change could increase conversion or how tooltips could help onboard new users. 

"I" vs. "We"

This is not a question, but an overall thing you can watch out for through the interview. To find out if they are team players pay close attention to how they explain projects to you. Are they using "I" or "we"? Are they highlighting the collaboration part or rather what exactly they did? These signs will reveal if they are a team-oriented designer or more of a lone wolf type. The latter can point to weaknesses in communication and future conflicts.