Sr. Product Designer (L3)
Interview Stages
| Stage | Interviewer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter Screen | [Recruiter Name] | 30 min |
| Hiring Manager Screen | [Hiring Manager Name] | 45 min |
| Portfolio Review | All Hiring Team | 60 min |
| Round 2: PM | [PM Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Designer | [Designer Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Round 2: Engineering | [Engineering Interviewer] | 45 min |
| Final/Culture Round | Executive or Culture Team Member | 30 min |
Recruiter Screen
Focus Areas: Growth Trajectory, Motivation, Communication
- Tell me about a time you stepped up to lead a part of a project.
- What kind of feedback helps you grow the most?
- Tell me about a time you helped your team zoom out and rethink the problem space.
Hiring Manager Screen
Focus Areas: Ownership, Autonomy, Strategic Craft
- Tell me about a time you owned a feature or product area from discovery through delivery.
- How do you balance advocating for design with adapting to business or time constraints?
- How do you decide what "good enough" looks like at different stages?
Portfolio Review
Focus Areas: Craft Maturity, Storytelling, Decision-Making
The candidate should walk through two end-to-end case studies where they had a meaningful impact on the outcome. They should highlight decisions they made independently, how they handled ambiguity, and how they collaborated across disciplines.
Round 2 Interviews
PM Interview
Focus Areas: Strategic Thinking, Prioritization, Influence
- Describe a time you challenged or reshaped product requirements.
- How do you approach trade-offs between design quality and timeline?
- Share an example where you had to drive clarity on a vague or shifting product goal.
- How do you build trust with PMs while advocating for design?
Designer Interview
Focus Areas: Systems Thinking, Feedback, Ownership
- Tell me about a time you introduced a new pattern or proposed a change to a design system.
- How do you help more junior designers grow during crit or reviews?
- What does "designing at scale" mean to you?
- How have you balanced consistency vs. innovation in your work?
Engineering Interview
Focus Areas: Design-to-Dev Process, Technical Awareness, Velocity
- Tell me about a time you collaborated early with engineering to influence architecture or feasibility.
- What's your approach to file management and handoff on a project you lead?
- How do you ensure design intent survives implementation?
- How have you handled scope cuts while preserving the core user experience?
Final/Culture Round
Focus Areas: Team Contribution, Growth Potential, Leadership Signals
- How do you contribute to design culture beyond your projects?
- What's something you're actively trying to improve as a designer right now?
- What does strong IC leadership mean to you?