How to Hire the UX Designer in 2021

We continue to share the internal processes of Overgear. This time we talked with CEO Tony Doronin who takes part in the recruiting process.

He has more than 11 years of experience in developing web products in leadership positions. As a product manager, he launched 5 successful e-commerce projects in the field of gaming services.

Today our most urgent task is to find a designer. Therefore, we have prepared a manual for those of you who had previously worked with contractors and freelancers but realized that they need a staff member in their team.

Responsibilities of the UX designer.

First of all, let's make it clear what the UX designer is responsible for.

Basically, they create a functional user interface based on the interaction model. They can also do analytics, design user interactions, and create structural page diagrams, the so-called wireframes.

What levels of UX designer exist?

As in many other professions, it is considered to distinguish junior, middle, senior levels.

The junior UX designer is not suitable for the role of the only designer in the company because they are just starting their career path and can only assist in the design processes. Work experience is usually about 0.5 - 1.5 years.

If you are only hiring one designer, your choice should be between middle and senior designers.

The middle designer independently manages projects, has a base of ready-made solutions, knows trends, and can critically analyze the design.

The key point is that they understand the problems of business and the domain, understand the objectives of the project, and know how to deal with a statement of work. They can present their ideas and have a portfolio fulfilled with at least 4-6 works. Usually, their work experience is about 1-3 years.

The senior designer is characterized by the fact that they can work on several projects simultaneously, understand the business value, supervise other people, and can be a mentor. If the middle designer knows all the trends, then the senior designer creates them. Often they are active in the information field: they publish articles, have professional awards, participate in conferences (including representation of the company). On average, they have work experience of about 4-7 years.

What to Pay Attention to When Hiring a UX Designer

Professional skills:

• What tools/programs they use;
• How the design process is organized;
• How they conduct design research;
• How they see the future of design or if they follow modern trends;
• Their portfolio + test task.

Communication skills: the designer is a part of the team. Communication, the ability to communicate with colleagues and clients to present ideas, argue, and defend solutions are important for the success of the project.

Whether your views on the project coincide: the designer can be a top-notch professional, but you may have different visions. In this case, it might become a challenge for you to work together.

Everything Else You Need to Know About The UX Designer

Don't ask questions only about design.

Design knowledge isn't enough to make a design that works. The designer needs to have at least a basic understanding of marketing and how people make decisions.

A good designer asks many questions about the objectives and goals of the project. It is important for them to understand how your business works. If there are almost no such questions, and s/ he is more interested in money and asks for an advance payment, then just say goodbye to this candidate.

Our case.

We truly believe that an experienced and talented Product Design team is just as important as a rocking CPO. Most importantly, we have 2 big services we plan to release next year. So we are looking for Product Designers who are passionate about the gaming industry and the gaming culture.

Our criteria.

Implement a probation period that works.

In the era of mass NDA's, it's nearly impossible to be 100% sure that a candidate will have all the qualities you look for after just 1-2 interviews. Are they effectively managing their time? Are they REALLY available for a full-time job and don't have 10 freelance projects on their back they don't want you to know about? Will they be there in 1 week or they'll just change their mind and disappear into thin air? Will they handle complex tasks that require focus and perseverance?

The best practice is to hire your candidate as a freelancer for 1-2 weeks and you'll get a much better understanding of what to expect.