The FAANG UX Design interview process, and how you can prepare
The job hunt sucks. Here, we'll break down the FAANG UX design interview process and give you a guide on how to prepare so it will suck less.
We’ll dive into the phone screen, behavioral interview, case study interview, design challenge interview, and give you some questions you can ask the interviewer!
Also, this is just the general process. It can be used at FAANG and non-FAANG companies. Every interview is different, so please ask your recruiter how you can prepare. They want you to win!
Also, do we call it MANGA now? (it sounds better than MAANG lol)
The FAANG UX design interview process
Typically, the FAANG UX design interview process consists of several stages:
You submit your application, they review your portfolio, and decide if they want to reach out for an interview.
Phone screening with recruiter and/or hiring manager
On-site interviews (or virtual equivalents) where they can ask you to present 1-2 case studies from your portfolio, critique, and app, and/or do a design challenge (live or take home)
Each stage is crucial, testing different aspects of your skills and experience.
FAANG companies seek designers who can tackle complex problems creatively. They value:
Strong problem-solving skills
Excellent communication abilities
Collaborative mindset
User-centric approach
Since these recruiters are looking through many portfolios, it’s also important to have a strong visual design to stand out.
Phase 1: The phone screen
This is a high-level evaluation of your background, communication skills, and overall “fit.” They are trying to get your vibe. You may get a recruiter screen first and then a design hiring manager screen.
Master your elevator pitch, how you talk about your story and solve problems, and anything else they ask.
It’s a conversation, so you should ask them questions too! You can ask about the company’s mission, the team, the products you’re potentially working on, and more because you’re also interviewing them.
After your initial screen, you may get invited to types of interviews like behavioral/leadership interviews, app critiques, case studies, design challenges, and more behavioral. Let’s break them down
The behavioral interview
They want to see how you approach challenges and collaborate with others. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've tackled complex design problems in the past. Highlight your ability to empathize with users and translate their needs into innovative solutions. You can also use the “STAR” (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to answer those questions.
Make sure to let them know your impact by including the results you achieved. Include as many numbers as you can - Did your designs lead to increased user engagement or improved conversion rates? Focus on time-saving and revenue-generating metrics.
On top of your own work experience, they want to know how you work with others. Talk about your experience working with engineers and product managers. They want to see if you can speak the same language and how you work through conflicts.
Be honest if you don’t know something at any point of the interview, but you can also say what you would do to get the answer. They value self awareness
Your case study interview
The UX Designer interview process at FAANG companies often includes you presenting about a UX design project you’ve worked on.
Curate 2-3 of your strongest projects demonstrating your problem-solving skills and design thinking. Focus on work that aligns with the company's products or challenges. For each project, articulate:
The problem you were solving
Your design process and decision-making
The final solution and its impact
FAANG companies are looking for UX designers who can tackle complex problems at scale and be able to tell a story about them. Explain why behind your choices, not just the screens.
Prepare your portfolio
Practice solving design challenges and working on projects. This will help you build your case studies in your portfolio while you improve your problem solving skills.
Your portfolio should have a web and slides component. Examples of web portfolios can be found on sites like: https://www.bestfolios.com/home
The web portfolio is for the hiring manager to look at as part of your application. On your interview, you’ll want to create another presentation of each case study you plan to present instead of walking them through your website.
Your Presentation
Craft a compelling narrative around your design process. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Be ready to explain your rationale for key decisions, tradeoffs, different ideas you had, as interviewers will probe into your thinking. Also how you worked with a team on your project and how you’ve measured success.
Seek constructive criticism on your work from peers or mentors on both your portfolio, case study presentation, and your presentation skills. It helps to do mock interviews, too.
Also, keep yourself updated on the latest UX trends, tools, and best practices. Show this during the interview. Join communities like Design Buddies on Discord to keep up to date.
If you’re in need for more experience shipping products and a strong portfolio piece, you can join our 10 week design project cohort:
In our intensive 10-week project, you’ll also gain cross-functional work experience and come out with a big tech interview-ready portfolio case study!
Our alumni have landed jobs at big tech. You can, too!
Here is more information and a link to apply to get added on to the list. We’re currently full but will have opening again in April: https://www.ux-go.com/uxgo-2025/10-week-internship-course
The design challenge interview
You could be given a live or take-home design challenge. They want to see how you solve problems.
A live challenge could also be called the “whiteboard” interview. Ask questions to define constraints, user goals, and success metrics.
Show your thought process and iterations. Sketch multiple solutions quickly. Interviewers want to see the breadth of your thinking and your ability to converge on a strong concept. Then explain why you converge on one idea.
Questions you can ask the interviewer
They also judge you based on the questions you ask. You’re also interviewing them!
You can ask them about the company’s direction, the team, the product, the roadmap, the challenges, and other things you’d like to know about the role to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
What are the biggest challenges/UX design related challenges the team is currently facing?
How do designers, product managers, and engineers typically collaborate like?
How does the team measure impact?
How do you see this role evolving in the next year?
What qualities makes someone succeed in this role?
Could you tell me about a project where the design team had a significant impact on the product’s direction or success?
Do take a few minutes to send a thank you follow up after your interview, too.
Stay tuned for more newsletters about company-specific interview tips, salary negotiation, and more
Also, Grace Ling (founder of Design Buddies) recently shared a video on salaries at FAANG companies, interviewing her friends. Also, this video is about her UX design salary journey and negotiation tips. Check them out!
–
Thanks for tuning in! If you have more tips you’d like to add on the topic of UX design interviews, do email us at grace@designbuddies.community
You got this! Hope you slay your interviews!
Here are some more resources-
🐰 About Design Buddies/UXGO
Design Buddies/UXGO is a community where you level up your design career. Land jobs, improve your design skills, and make friends. We have resources, events, design challenges, job boards, fun perks, and more.
👋 Visit our website and hop into our Discord community.
💖 Partner with us, or share your resources in our newsletter (email grace@designbuddies.community)
🌟 Watch our past events and connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more fun!
👩🏻💻 Subscribe to Grace Ling’s newsletter, Grace Pace!
Stay tuned for another newsletter piece about FAANG company