How to hire a designer.
Portfolios make designer screening feel easy — until you realize a portfolio shows outcomes, not decisions. You cannot see which constraints the designer was handed, what they pushed back on, or whether the polished result shipped and worked.
The strongest signal is the story behind one or two pieces: why this layout, what the messy earlier versions looked like, what the business needed the design to do, and what happened after it shipped.
What to test — and what proof looks like
Decide these before you read a single application. Each requirement below pairs with the evidence that would actually convince you — screening becomes checking claims against a list instead of comparing vibes.
- Designs for a goal, not for Dribbble. Case studies that name the problem and the result — sign-ups, clarity, support tickets — not just final screens.
- Range that matches your need. Product UI, brand, and marketing design are different crafts. Verify depth in the one you are hiring for; treat the others as a bonus.
- Works with constraints. Stories of shipping inside an existing design system, a tight deadline, or engineering pushback — and what they conceded versus defended.
- Communicates rationale. They can explain a design decision to a non-designer without defensiveness. You will be that non-designer every week.
Interview questions that test claims
Generic questions get rehearsed answers. These are anchored in the claims candidates in this role typically make — easy to answer if the claim is true, awkward if it isn't. (The method is covered in our interview questions guide.)
- Pick one portfolio piece — what did the first version look like, and what changed it?
- What was the business goal of this design, and did it work? How do you know?
- Tell me about a time engineering or a founder overruled you. What did you do?
- Which part of this project was yours alone, and which was the team’s?
Red flags
- Beautiful portfolio, but no piece has a problem statement or an outcome.
- Every story ends with the design being right and others being wrong.
- Cannot show unpolished middle stages — suggests the work may not be theirs end-to-end.
Running this at 200-applicant scale
This process works manually for a dozen applicants. At real posting volume, the testing is the bottleneck — which is the part BestHire automates. Publish your role through a JD built as a filter, and every fit applicant takes a 5-minute AI interview probing the claims on their own CV. You get a ranked shortlist where every verdict cites the CV line and the interview quote — you read the evidence and decide. See how it works.
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