UI/UX & Graphic Design: interview questions and learning guide

UX research & user flows

Good design starts by understanding people, not by opening a design tool.

UX designers learn who the users are, what they are trying to do and where they get stuck. They gather evidence through interviews, analytics and usability tests, turn it into personas and journeys, and then sketch wireframes and prototypes that are tested again before launch.

Interview tip: In interviews, tell the story: problem, evidence, design change, result.

UI design & design systems

Consistency is a feature users feel even when they cannot name it.

UI design turns structure into a clear, attractive interface. Visual hierarchy guides the eye, a type scale and spacing grid keep things tidy, and enough colour contrast keeps text readable. A design system stores reusable components and rules so teams build screens that match.

Interview tip: Mention accessibility: contrast, touch size and keyboard use.

Graphic design basics

Print and screen are different worlds, and knowing which one you are in saves expensive mistakes.

Graphic designers combine type, colour, layout and imagery. Screens use RGB light and print uses CMYK ink. Vector artwork scales without losing sharpness while raster images are made of pixels. Print files need the right resolution, bleed and colour mode.

Interview tip: Show your process: brief, concepts, feedback, final files.

Typography and colour theory

Type is the voice of a design and colour is its mood, so both must say the same thing.

Typography is the art of making text readable and expressive. Choose a few typefaces, set clear size steps, and give lines enough space. Colour theory explains how hues work together: harmony, contrast and temperature. Good palettes have one main colour, a few supports and neutral tones. Colour and type together create hierarchy, so the eye knows where to start and where to go next. Always test for readability on real screens.

Interview tip: Explain choices with purpose, such as readability or brand tone, not personal taste.

Prototyping and interaction design

A prototype is a rehearsal: you find the awkward parts before the real show.

A prototype is a cheap, early version of a design used to test ideas. Low-fidelity sketches test flow and layout fast. High-fidelity prototypes in tools like Figma feel like the real thing and test details and motion. Interaction design decides how the interface responds to taps, hovers and errors. Small animations give feedback and guide attention. Test with real users, watch what they do, and improve before developers build.

Interview tip: Show your process: sketch, prototype, test, change, and say what the test taught you.

Branding and print layout

A brand is a promise, and layout is how neatly that promise is wrapped.

Brand identity is the set of logo, colour, type and tone that makes a business recognisable. A guideline keeps every piece consistent. Print layout arranges text and images on a grid so pages feel orderly and easy to scan. Print has hard technical rules: CMYK colour, high resolution images, bleed and safe margins. Checking a file before it goes to the press avoids costly reprints.

Interview tip: Mention that you export print files with bleed, crop marks and embedded or outlined fonts.

Design portfolio and case studies

A portfolio is not a gallery of pictures, it is the proof that you can think.

Recruiters spend little time on each portfolio, so it must be clear and focused. Pick three to five strong projects rather than many weak ones. Each case study tells a story: the problem, your role, the process, the key decisions and the result. Show real work such as sketches and tests, not just the final polish. Be honest about what was a team effort. End with what you learned or what changed because of your work.

Interview tip: Practise a five minute walk through of your best case study out loud.

Start from user research and business goals, define the problem, rank by impact and effort and validate with quick tests.

Use enough colour contrast, readable text, large touch targets, clear labels and keyboard and screen reader support.

Listen to their concern, return to goals and user evidence, show options and settle it with a quick test.

UX covers the whole experience and flow based on research, while UI shapes the visual interface and its components.

Share components with states and specs, spacing and tokens, explain interactions and review the build together.

UX is how the whole experience works and feels for the user. UI is the visual layer of screens, buttons and type.

Define tasks, recruit five or so users, watch them without helping, note where they struggle and turn findings into fixes.

A shared set of components, styles and rules that keeps products consistent and speeds up design and development.

Text must have enough contrast against its background, commonly 4.5 to 1 for body text, and colour should not be the only signal.

A wireframe is a simple layout of structure. A prototype is clickable and shows how the flow works.

Return to the user goal and data, explain trade-offs, align on priorities and document the decision.

Arranging size, colour, space and position so people see the most important things first.

Vector for logos and icons that must scale. Raster for photos and detailed images.