Open Design Docs

Lead Product Designer

Interview Stages

StageInterviewer(s)Duration
Recruiter Screen[Recruiter Name]30 min
Hiring Manager Screen[Hiring Manager Name]45 min
Portfolio ReviewAll Hiring Team60 min
Round 2: PM[PM Interviewer]45 min
Round 2: Designer[Designer Interviewer]45 min
Round 2: Engineering[Engineering Interviewer]45 min
Final/Culture RoundExecutive or Culture Team Member30 min

Recruiter Screen

Focus Areas: Communication, Curiosity, Growth Mindset

  • What drew you to product design, and what excites you about this opportunity?
  • Tell me about a time you were new to something. How did you go about learning it?
  • Can you describe a situation where you received feedback and how you acted on it?

Hiring Manager Screen

Focus Areas: Collaboration, Craft Thinking, Autonomy

  • How do you approach understanding user needs before designing?
  • Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with someone who thought differently than you.
  • When you're unsure how to start solving a design problem, what steps do you take?

Portfolio Review

Focus Areas: Craft, Storytelling, Communication

The candidate should walk the interviewers through two case studies they are proud of. The presentation should focus on how they approached the design problem, their process, key decisions, and outcomes. The case studies should be relevant to the type of work they would do in this role.

Round 2 Interviews

PM Interview

Focus Areas: Collaboration, Product Thinking, Communication

  • Tell me about a time you had to balance user needs with business goals in a project.
  • How do you approach a design task when the requirements are unclear or incomplete?
  • Have you ever worked with a PM who changed direction mid-project? How did you handle it?
  • Describe a moment when you asked questions to improve a product idea.

Designer Interview

Focus Areas: Craft Foundations, Feedback Openness, Visual Thinking

  • Tell me how you usually start a design project—what steps do you take first?
  • Describe a time you received tough feedback on a design. What did you do with it?
  • Walk me through how you think about hierarchy, layout, or visual clarity in your designs.
  • What's one design skill you're working to improve and how are you approaching it?

Engineering Interview

Focus Areas: Collaboration, Systems Awareness, Communication

  • Have you ever worked with developers or engineers before? What was that like?
  • How do you make sure your designs are feasible or easy to build?
  • Can you explain a design you made where constraints (like time or tech) influenced your decisions?
  • What's your process for handing off work or preparing it for implementation?

Final/Culture Round

Focus Areas: Cultural Contribution, Growth Mindset, Team Fit

  • What do you value most in a team or work environment?
  • How do you stay motivated when a project feels unclear or slow-moving?
  • Where do you hope to grow in the next year as a designer and teammate?

Get unlimited free access

Essential resources for design leaders

Leadership guides and templates
Exclusive design case studies
Regular updates with new content
We respect your privacy. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.