Will Evans, a user experience authority who writes at Semantic Foundry, recently published 30 interview questions he has used when interviewing potential user experience, interaction design, and information architecture staff and consultants.
These questions delve far deeper than asking the interviewee to list his 5 favorite web sites. In fact, Evans feels “there is no doubt in my mind that many folks considered gurus or experts would fail by question #5″.
While any UX fraud would have difficulty explaining what a heuristic evaluation is, let alone its shortcomings (#4), I hope those of us practicing all things user experience can provide knowledgeable answers to most of these questions.
It was this hope that led me to realize many of these questions are just as appropriate for the interviewee to ask the staff of his next potential job.
For example, if an interviewee (i.e the candidate) asked the potential employer how the company defines when a web site or application is usable enough (#3), and can support the design and experience based on contextual inquiry and/or field studies (#13), there’s a good chance that employer won’t leave design decisions to arbitrary, potentially uninformed opinion.
Interviewees should also ask whether or not there are existing pattern libraries and style guides. If the interviewer brushes off the question that there are a few templates here and there, you may be joining a crew that finds itself re-addressing similar design challenges product after product. On the other hand, if the manager pulls out one document that is tasked with serving both demands of a pattern library and a style guide, you could find yourself working with people who don’t understand such unique characteristics of either document.
I would also encourage UX professionals looking for work to question whether the potential supervisor or department head is the company’s UX evangelist, or if that role will be left to the new hire. Though it could be both rewarding and challenging to pick up the flag in the name of the business’s customers and their needs, someone unfamiliar with specific office politics and unique interoffice relationships may grow weary and frustrated if potential opportunities are seemingly neglected or downplayed.
Aren’t looking for a new job any time soon or idling in a hiring freeze? Many of these questions are worth discussing in (un)conferences, meet-ups, and networking happy hours.
Regardless, these questions provide opportunities for conversation and discussion–what an excellent format for learning if one person is right to join a team, or if that team is the right one to join.
