design · Fresher-friendly
UI/UX Designer interview questions on design principles, user research, Figma, and portfolio presentation for Indian tech companies.
What is the difference between UI design and UX design?
Tip: UX: the overall feel of using a product — is it useful, usable, enjoyable? Covers research, information architecture, interaction design. UI: the visual layer — typography, colour, spacing, icons. Great UX with poor UI is ugly but functional; great UI with poor UX is beautiful but frustrating.
What are the key principles of visual hierarchy? How do you apply them?
Tip: Key principles: size (larger = more important), contrast (colour/value difference draws the eye), proximity (related items grouped), alignment (creates structure), repetition (consistency). The user's eye should move predictably through the layout.
What is a user persona? How do you create one and how does it influence design decisions?
Tip: A persona is a fictional but research-based profile of a target user. Create from: user interviews, analytics data, field observations. Include: name, goals, pain points, tech comfort, a quote. Say 'Priya would not understand this icon' in design reviews.
What is the difference between wireframes, mockups, and prototypes?
Tip: Wireframe: low-fidelity structural layout in grayscale. Mockup: high-fidelity static design with real colours, typography, and assets. Prototype: interactive simulation of the product. Use wireframes for layout decisions, mockups for visual sign-off, prototypes for usability testing.
How do you conduct a usability test? Describe the process from planning to insights.
Tip: Steps: define research questions, recruit 5-8 participants, create scenario-based tasks, facilitate non-leading think-aloud sessions, observe and record, affinity diagram to cluster findings, prioritise issues by frequency x severity. 5 users typically reveal 85% of usability problems.
How do you ensure your designs meet WCAG accessibility standards?
Tip: Key checks: colour contrast ratio >= 4.5:1 (normal text), all interactive elements reachable via keyboard, images have alt text, form labels are associated with inputs, error messages are descriptive, focus states are visible. Test with a screen reader (VoiceOver).
What is a cognitive walkthrough? How is it different from usability testing?
Tip: Cognitive walkthrough: expert evaluation where evaluators step through tasks asking "will users know what to do here?" No real users needed — fast and cheap. Usability testing uses real users — more external validity. Both are complementary.
Walk me through your most challenging design project. What trade-offs did you make?
Tip: Show depth: describe the user problem, the constraint (technical, time, stakeholder), the solution you chose, and specifically what you gave up. "We simplified the power-user workflow to reduce onboarding friction for new users" shows product thinking.
A developer says your design is impossible to implement in the timeline. How do you respond?
Tip: Do not defend the design — understand the constraint. Ask specifically what is expensive: the animation? The layout? The custom component? Often a small design change eliminates 80% of the engineering cost. Collaborate, do not capitulate.
You have 2 days to redesign the onboarding flow of an app. How do you approach it?
Tip: Day 1: analyse existing data (drop-off points, session recordings, 3 quick user calls). Identify the single biggest friction point. Define the aha moment. Day 2: sketch 2-3 concepts for that one bottleneck, prototype the best one in Figma. Focus: solve one problem well.
What is an affinity diagram? When do you use it in UX research?
Tip: An affinity diagram organises qualitative data into themes by grouping related observations on sticky notes. Used after user interviews or usability tests. Process: write one observation per note, cluster, name clusters, prioritise.
Describe your design process from receiving a brief to final handoff.
Tip: Show a process, not just a toolset: Brief, Research (user interviews, competitive analysis), Define (persona, jobs-to-be-done), Ideate (sketches), Design (wireframes to mockups), Prototype, Test (usability testing), Iterate, Handoff (Figma specs, design tokens). Name tools at each stage.
Recruiters test these skill areas specifically. Click any topic to see curated questions.
Practice, not just reading
Upload your resume and practice a full UI/UX Designer mock interview with AI-generated questions and rubric-based scoring across 5 dimensions — free to start.