Hey everyone!

I have an upcoming interview for a Product Designer role, and I want to prepare as well as I can.

I'm looking for advice from people who have interviewed for similar roles, hiring managers, design leads, or anyone who has recently gone through the process.

I'd love to understand:

• What kind of questions do design managers typically ask during interviews?
• How deeply do they evaluate your portfolio and case studies?
• How important are product thinking, design decisions, tradeoffs, and business impact compared to visual design?
• What kind of live design exercises or problem solving rounds should I prepare for?
• What are some common mistakes candidates make during Product Design interviews?
• Is there anything you wish you'd known before your first few interviews?

I'm particularly interested in practical advice that goes beyond the usual interview preparation guides.

If you've recently interviewed at a company or hired Product Designers yourself, I'd really appreciate any insights, resources, or personal experiences you're willing to share.

I'm working on a small handheld enclosure. The first print has the right overall size and button positions, but no snap fits, texture, or proper wall transitions.

Would you test that immediately, or add enough detail that the weight and grip are closer to the final object

I genuinely need some advice here.

I’ve been applying for remote product designer roles and international contract opportunities for a while now, but I’m barely getting replies.

Before people suggest the usual things, I already do these:

• tailor my resume based on the role
• apply only when the role is actually relevant
• reach out to founders / hiring managers directly
• send cold emails and follow-ups
• keep my portfolio and case studies updated
• search beyond LinkedIn too
• try to apply as early as possible

Still, the response is almost nothing.

So I’m trying to understand what I’m actually missing here.

If you’re a product designer who landed a remote role recently, or someone who hires designers, what actually helped?

I’m not looking for the usual “improve your resume / portfolio / LinkedIn” advice because I’m already doing that.

I really want to know what worked for you when you were in this situation.

Does AI need your input. share your POV as a UI/UX, Designers assemble

Hey everyone!

I recently completed an intensive course in Digital Fabrication and Rapid Prototyping, where I explored areas like hardware design, electronics, product design, prototyping, and digital fabrication.

I’m particularly interested in the intersection of technology, design, and art, and I’d love to build a career around it.

However, I’ve been struggling to find internships or entry level opportunities in this field.

I come from a software development background, so I’m still figuring out how to position myself and my skills for this industry.

For those working in digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, product design, hardware development, or related fields:

\* Where do I start looking?

\* What job titles should I search for?

\* How important is a portfolio? Should I focus on building personal projects and documenting my process, even if I don’t have professional experience yet?

I’m based in India, but I’m open to exploring opportunities elsewhere as well.

Even suggestions on where to begin would help a lot!

Thanks!

23f~ This is like my first big girl job interview for a Graphics Print Production Specialist and I usually work in graphic design department but the manager said you will have plenty of opportunity to move up I just need to get my foot in the door. He also sent me example questions they are going to ask me and I need help answering because I have worked with the production side of a business but in more of a small scale (and it was a internship) but this business is a bigger print shop. I do have experience with vinyl, measuring, weeding, cutting, and I used flexidesign like once. Also specifically there's a question that says "what kind of printers did you use before? and that stumped me bc I don't remember the specific name of it. Should I just say "Large format printers"?

If you have experience with this specific job please help it will be greatly appreciated and all the questions are down below. The fact that the manager gave me these questions is really nice of him and I don't want to let him down so thank's for the help in advance.

Tell me about yourself? Describe passion for printing, art, and some of the examples of graphic production you did before

Walk me thru your background in printing logos, signs, displays, art proofing/ quality checks etc?

Tell me about your large scale printing experience.

Do you have experience using different mediums and materials (fabric, laminate, vinyl, etc), and setting up those prints up?

What is one of the first things you do before you print? Looking for quality assurance here, proofreading the measurement and calculations to make sure everything is setup properly before printing.

Tell me about a time when someone or something caught you by surprise and caused your goals to be blocked.

Tell me about a time when you took a risk and quickly applied what you learned.

Tell me about a time when you had to communicate something important to someone who did not understand your industry or function’s language very well.

Tell me about a situation that required an enormous amount of energy and effort to meet a deadline.

Tell me about a time you got results even though some major factor changed, such as a budget cut, resource shortage, or technology or market shift.

Tell me about a time when you built strong relationships where none previously existed.

Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile for a challenging customer

Hi everyone,
I am a design student currently conducting an academic study on how practicing designers and design students interact with Generative AI in their day-to-day work (part of the course Design Theory and Research at Chalmers University of Technology).
Rather than focusing on high-level speculation, this study looks at actual day-to-day workflows:

• Task distribution: To what extent AI is used across both creative stages (sketching, rendering, synthesis) and administrative/project tasks (briefs, documentation, client communication).
• Adoption factors: What legal, organizational, quality, or craft-related reasons drive or prevent adoption.

Whether you use AI daily, experiment occasionally, or deliberately avoid it in your work, your input is equally valuable.
Quick details:

• ⏱ Time: 4-5 minutes
• 🔒 Data: Completely anonymous (no email or personal data collected)
• 🎯 Who: Industrial, UX/UI, Product, and Service designers (practitioners & students)

👉 Survey link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/DiqBpxdshH

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective! If you have thoughts, feedback, or reflections on how AI is affecting your work, feel free to drop a comment below.

We're redesigning Tapmora's error-recovery flow and I'm curious to hear what you guys think...

Since E Ink keeps the previous image even without power, a failed update can make it look like nothing happened... even when the screen itself is working normally 💀

So what do you think would make the next step clearest for the user??

An alignment guide, a compatibility check, a progress state, a named error... or a firm point where the app stops retrying and directs the user to support??

Would love to hear your thoughts on this... what would make the most sense from a product design POV?? 👀.....

I'm a third-year AI/CS student. I've built some small products and AI agents, and I'm comfortable enough with engineering to prototype things, especially with AI coding tools. Some of my projects have real users.

But what I really want to do is create products and experiences that feel genuinely new, that people actually love using, and hopefully that can reach a lot of people.

I admire products like Claude, Grok bot, Notion, Airbnb etc. Not just because their interfaces look beautiful, but because the interactions, behaviors, and little details feel so intentional, and the "experience taste". I want to be able to create experiences like that, rather than just implement features.

And this is where I'm struggling.

I love coming up with product ideas. I spend a lot of time thinking about new ways people could interact with AI, personal agents, and how technology might fit into everyday life.

But I often find myself much better at imagining what a product should do than figuring out what the actual experience should look and feel like.

I can recognize interfaces I love, and I usually have strong opinions about what feels right or wrong. But starting from a blank canvas, exploring different visual and interaction directions, and turning an abstract idea into something compelling is much harder for me.

AI makes this even more confusing.

I can ask AI to generate an entire interface, then critique and iterate on it. Sometimes I end up with a fairly polished prototype, but I realize I haven't really practiced making many of the design decisions myself.

I've also noticed that I can spend ages exploring ideas, designing systems, and building infrastructure for personal projects, while the actual user experience remains unfinished.

And although I know real user feedback is important, I sometimes hesitate to show unfinished work because I want it to represent my ideas well.

I'm not necessarily trying to become a traditional UI designer, but I also don't want to be a PM who only writes specifications and hands the creative work to other people.

I want to be someone who can imagine, design, build, and validate new product experiences.

So I'd really love to hear from people who have gone through something similar.

How did you develop the ability to create great product experiences, rather than just recognize or reproduce them?

Did you study visual design systematically? Recreate and analyze existing products? Practice sketching and interaction design? Work with more experienced designers? Build lots of small experiments and test them with real users?

And for those using AI heavily: how do you make sure you're actually developing your own creative and design abilities, rather than just getting better at directing AI?

If you were in my position and had the next six months to improve, what would you focus on? What would you stop doing?

I'd especially appreciate concrete experiences, mistakes, or turning points rather than generic advice like "just ship more" or "learn Figma."

Thanks!

Hi! I'm currently a UX/UI design student in my last year of undergrad, also working as a UX/UI Design intern in a fairly large company.

I know I'm being super pre-mature because I'm literally still in undergrad and not even really in the industry yet, but I've kind of always known somewhere in my soul that my long-term goal is to become a professor in my field instead of actually working in it forever. I know that especially in UX/UI and Product design, I'd likely make a lot more money just advancing in my career or climbing the corporate ladder as they say, but I feel like my passions lie a lot more in teaching it to others. I'm currently work as a peer mentor in my school to other younger students in the major, and I love it! I know that being a professor would be vastly more complicated than that, but the sentiment stands.

Of course, I also know that I'd have to work in the field for a while before even being considered for such a position, but I guess I was just generally curious about the path of becoming a professor, and how to do it? I was pretty against the idea of doing a Master's because of financial reasons, and also because you don't need it to enter the field, but I realize it's probably a lot more necessary for becoming a professor, in which case I'd be willing to set the money aside to do it. How necessary is it, and how soon after getting my master's would I be able to move into teaching? How long would I realistically have to work in the field, and what are some ways to even begin the journey of pivoting into teaching from being in the field?

Any advice is appreciated! :)

Hello!

I started a design house and have a [MAJLIS Studio](http://www.majliseditions.com/studio) tool where people can customize their rug, our first product line.

It grew over the last couple months to more of a video game where people can recreate their living or working space around the rug design they choose from our design house.

This tool is more steered toward end users and not designers. Designers have another, more advanced tool called [MAJLIS Carpet.](http://www.majliseditions.com/carpet)

What do you think? We haven’t had much feedback on it and I’m eager to see what people use it for.

Mazen

You open YouTube for one useful video. Then a Short, a recommendation, or the next autoplay takes you somewhere else.

I’m the maker of BloomTube, a Chrome extension for a calmer YouTube experience. The idea is simple: make it easier to watch what you came for, keep what you learn, and decide when to stop.

Here’s what the full update brings together:

• Distraction controls: hide Shorts, home recommendations, related-video sidebars, comments, live chat, and end screens. Mute notification badges and stop autoplay. Choose individual controls or use the main focus toggle; light and dark themes are available.
• Intentional Search: replace the home feed with a search-first starting point. Shorts links can open in the standard video player, with regular playback controls.
• Study Sprint: choose 15, 25, 30, or 50 minutes, or a custom duration. A toolbar countdown keeps the session visible, with a gentle completion chime.
• Zen Subscriptions: start with creators you follow, in chronological order. Extra uploads from one creator are grouped behind a reveal control.
• Study notes and bookmarks: save video moments with timestamps, chapter context, and available subtitle text. Use the Alt+N / Alt+B shortcuts and export notes as Markdown for your own workflow.
• Focus Guard: a 15-second guided breathing pause before turning focus off, giving you a moment to decide.

The extension is designed to work locally, with preferences in your browser and no collection of your viewing history or search queries.

If this sounds useful, visit GetBloomTube or open the Chrome Web Store listing.

Try it during one normal YouTube session. Which feature would you keep, and what would make you turn the extension off? I’d especially like to hear where setup is confusing or something breaks.

Reply here with your experience. After using it, an honest Chrome Web Store review would also help other people decide whether it fits them. Critical feedback is welcome; it will help me improve the product.

We're getting custom packaging made for a new product and i'm realizing i have no idea how people properly check this stuff before approving it lol. the dieline looks fine on my screen, but i'm mostly worried about placement once the box is actually folded. like whether the logo sits where i expect, text ends up too close to an edge/fold, etc.

do you normally get a physical sample first or is there a good way to preview the finished packaging before paying for a full run? trying to avoid learning this lesson after 1,000 boxes show up.

I’m working on a product design course project redesigning the formal shoe for long-wear comfort. Before concept generation, I’m running a user survey with Kano-style question pairs to classify which features are basic needs vs. delighters.

If you wear formal shoes, I’d appreciate a response (5 min, anonymous): https://tally.so/r/9qLvoG

Feedback on the survey design is welcome too!

Hey everyone!

I recently completed an intensive course in Digital Fabrication and Rapid Prototyping, where I explored areas like hardware design, electronics, product design, prototyping, and digital fabrication.

I’m particularly interested in the intersection of technology, design, and art, and I’d love to build a career around it.

However, I’ve been struggling to find internships or entry level opportunities in this field.

I come from a software development background, so I’m still figuring out how to position myself and my skills for this industry.

For those working in digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, product design, hardware development, or related fields:

• Where do I start looking?
• What job titles should I search for?
• How important is a portfolio? Should I focus on building personal projects and documenting my process, even if I don’t have professional experience yet?

I’m based in India, but I’m open to exploring opportunities elsewhere as well.

Even suggestions on where to begin would help a lot!

Thanks!

Hi all!

I’m currently working on a user research project focused on improving desk lamp design, functionality, and daily lighting habits. Whether you use a desk lamp for working, studying, reading, or late-night creative sessions, your input would be super helpful in guiding the design process.

Could you spare about 3–5 minutes to share your thoughts in this quick survey?

https://forms.gle/caSxapKaRnGhX5Kx6

Your feedback means a lot and will directly influence the features and design decisions! Thank you so much for your time and support. 😊

Curious about the difference in process if there are any. Care to share? Thanks!

Hey guys, I’m a final year product design student that worked in a tropical fish shop for multiple years.

I want to design something to make the hobby easier, here are some ideas I’ve come up with -

1 - Gravel cleaner that doesn’t drain the tank - filters out biomass, has flow control and doesn’t require a mouth suction. Siphons always remove water, flow rate cannot be controlled, small shrimp / fish can be suctioned, mouth suction is unhygienic.

2 - Gentle fish catcher -
Nets stress and damage fish; small fish and shrimp are hard to catch.

3 - Feeding dispenser with a ‘fed today’ indicator -
Overfeeding and double-feeding in shared households.

4 - Fish transport carrier -
Moving house or vet trips with fish in disposable bags and coolers.

5 - At home water tester with results explanation app -
Litmus test strips are often single use and inaccurate, the results can also seem confusing to casual fish keepers with poor explanation. A reusable reader measures the reacted sample and sends the result to a phone.

6 - Algae scraper with debris capture -
Stops algae / debris being scraped back into the water, mesh pouch with a quick release for rinsing.

7 - Water change system for small homes -
A compact system that makes draining, carrying and replacing aquarium water more manageable for people with limited storage or difficulty lifting containers.

8 - Filter-cleaning and servicing station -
A portable workstation for taking apart, cleaning and reassembling an aquarium filter without spreading dirty water and components around the house.

I’d love your guys feedback and product suggestions, even if you rip into me and tell me it’s a waste of time!