Every digital product development company faces the need to choose UX design sooner or later. Without that aspect, your app or platform may fail, as it won’t reflect the users’ needs or meet their expectations. A successful modern product should contribute to positive, enjoyable user experiences, and that’s what a UX specialist can do.
Thus, once you find yourself in need of good UX for your product, it’s time to post a vacancy and start a job search. But where to find UX designers with the proper mix of skill and talent? How to tell whether the candidate is the right fit for your job? Here is an expert guide on UX development interviewing and recruitment.
Article Breakdown
Check the Candidate’s Experience
A talented UX designer is a rare find, but experience also matters. Employing a gem without practical expertise is always risky, as they may fail to capture the project’s requirements, experience teamwork problems, or face other issues typical for beginners. The only case in which you can afford that risk is a limited budget; in all other situations, we recommend focusing your search on a person with 3+ years of expertise in the UX industry.
During the experience review, look for projects similar to yours. It’s vital that the candidate understands what you do as a company and can offer some tangible contribution to the development process.
Strive for a Partnering Relationship
Another aspect of UX designer selection is to seek a partner rather than an employee. We don’t mean accepting that person to a board of directors or giving them an administrative position right away. The point here is about their ability to build a sense of ownership, driving them to perform better and deliver extra value in the process of work. UX designers should feel aligned with the project’s goals and mission.
Study Portfolios
A portfolio is every web designer’s “face,” showing what they can do and how well they do it. It’s self-obvious, but some employees really forget about going through the UX designer candidates’ portfolios. It is, however, a critical aspect of the selection process. Your candidates should showcase their expertise with software tools and techniques, various styles and approaches, etc. Besides, a look at a candidate’s portfolio is always a great chance to get a feel of the designer’s overall style.
Take a Deeper Look into Work Processes
Understanding a UX designer’s work process is vital for every potential employer. This specialist will work in your team, so they should comply with the organizational routines and stages you have. Thus, by looking at how they approach projects and what completion steps they typically use, you will see how flexible they are for integrating into your team.
Verify the Credentials
It’s pretty suspicious to hire a jack of all trades, meaning that a person with too many credentials doesn’t cause much trust (unless they verify all of them). Another side of the spectrum is an absence of credentials, which is also a no-go. You can’t employ a specialist who finished only a two-week Udemy course in design and now wants to try themselves out in the fieldwork.
The golden middle is always the best solution in the UX designer hiring process. You need to check whether your UX design candidate has relevant formal education (college or university), which is always a plus. You also need to look for credible courses and conferences that have a significant weight in the UX community and count as beneficial training. Weigh those credentials of all candidates and pick the most trained employee with a lifelong learning mindset.
Check Soft Skills
Last but not least, you need to test all candidates for their soft skills. Though UX design is a creative specialty, these employees will still need to collaborate with other team members and clients ordering web products. So, they have to prove that they are punctual, polite people able to accept constructive criticism and deal with negative feedback. UX designers should also be capable team workers and skilled communicators, given the number of stakeholders with which they need to interact.
You’ve Chosen a Candidate; What’s Next?
Now that you’ve found the right candidate for your job (or a couple of candidates for the final round of interviewing), you need to put forward your terms of work. Some contenders may have questions or read the vacancy inattentively. So, it will be a shame to spend so much time on selection and then hear that the terms don’t fit the chosen UX designer.
To avoid such a situation, you need to determine the terms of work at the interview, such as the number of working hours, salary, travel, social package, and expected overtime requirements. Talk to the candidate honestly about all these points. They will be included in the job contract, and you will hardly ask your UX designer for extra work later on, once the documents are signed.
Next, explain the professional requirements you set for the UX designer job in your company. Let the candidate explain whether they feel they can match those requirements and why. Besides, it may be helpful to discuss the project’s strategic goals for which you’re hiring that specialist. You need to see that they share your vision and have some workable solutions at hand.
Final Note: In-House or Outsourced Hiring?
With these recommendations at your fingertips, you’re sure to minimize the time and effort spent on UX designer recruitment. But one vital decision we’ve overlooked is in-house versus outsourced hiring. The modern digital space is full of outsourced providers who can do an outstanding UX job for you. So, don’t dismiss that variant right away, even if you want to have an in-house staff member.
Outsourcing gives some valuable benefits, such as access to global talent, ready-made UX teams, and competitive rates. Besides, outsourcing providers typically have the required software and hardware, freeing you from the need to purchase it all and organize your staff’s workplace. You can find a reliable agency for a long-term partnership without breaking your company’s bank.