You’re interviewing for a mobile design job. What’s the worst mistake you could make?

2 Not testing your prototypes

One of the most important skills for a mobile designer is to test your prototypes with real users and get feedback. This will help you validate your assumptions, identify problems, and improve your solutions. If you don't test your prototypes, you risk presenting designs that are not user-friendly, accessible, or functional. You should always test your prototypes on different devices, platforms, and scenarios and document your findings and iterations. You should also be prepared to explain how you tested your prototypes, what you learned, and how you incorporated feedback into your designs.

3 Not following guidelines

Mobile design is not just about making things look good. It's also about following guidelines and standards that ensure consistency, usability, and compatibility across different devices and platforms. For example, you should follow the iOS Human Interface Guidelines or the Android Material Design Guidelines when designing for those platforms. You should also follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) when designing for web-based mobile apps. These guidelines will help you create designs that are intuitive, familiar, and accessible for a wide range of users. You should also be able to justify any deviations from the guidelines and explain how they enhance the user experience.

4 Not showing your process

Another crucial skill for a mobile designer is to show your process and how you arrived at your final designs. This will demonstrate your thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills and how you solve problems and overcome challenges. You should show your sketches, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes and explain the steps and tools you used to create them. You should also show your research, user personas, user journeys, user flows, and user stories and explain how they informed your design choices. Showing your process will also help you showcase your communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.

5 Not asking questions

A mobile design interview is not only a chance for the interviewer to assess your skills and fit, but also a chance for you to learn more about the company, the product, and the role. You should always ask questions that show your interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the job. You should also ask questions that help you clarify the expectations, requirements, and challenges of the job. For example, you could ask about the design team, the design process, the design tools, the design feedback, the design goals, and the design metrics. Asking questions will also help you build rapport and confidence with the interviewer.

6 Not being humble

The last mistake you could make in a mobile design interview is to be arrogant, defensive, or dismissive. You should always be humble, respectful, and open-minded when presenting your designs and answering questions. You should acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures, and your learnings and growth. You should also welcome constructive criticism, feedback, and suggestions and show how you can incorporate them into your designs. You should also appreciate other designers' work and perspectives and show how you can collaborate and learn from them. Being humble will show that you are a professional, a team player, and a lifelong learner.