We are building a startup and need a couple of designers. I am thinking what should be the top 3 questions to ask in order to shortlist good designers. Any ideas/suggestions?
Job fit should be obvious from their portfolio, so I would focus on questions that would help shortlist designers for their culture fit.
Culture fit is way more important to the long term success of both the designers and the company. To do this, though, you need to get them talking about past experiences. See how they describe previous jobs and managers. Do they take ownership of failures, or is it always due to someone else? Do they have a history of being unhappy, or is every experience a positive one?
Answer is probably a bit off topic, so sorry about that. But we have four separate interviews for our designers, and only one focuses on abilities, and that is more just to ensure that what they say they did in their portfolio is actually their own work.
The other three interviews are focusing on how they fit our core values. I have done this three times in the last year, and I haven't regretted my hires yet.
Ask a real problem that is troubling you. The answer you get need not be the best solution possible, but you should be skilled enough to find holes in the solution. See how much of the solution provided, is something they can defend. Also check how much open they are open to changes. Too flexible is not good. Too rigid is not good either. When the decision is based on data, it is best. Finally ask them to walk through their favorite project and explain what they contribute, how it impacted the project and how they worked with the rest of the team. Hiring a good designer is not about hiring the smartest guy but about making sure you can get somebody who is an excellent team player as the role will be the glue between multiple departments...
Ask them how human brains work :D
I honestly cant say what does the (static) portfolio tell about UX design.
Homer Gaines, CPACC
Interactive Designer + Front-end Developer + Certified Accessibility Professional + Speaker
Ask them if they have ever read "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug or "100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People" by Susan Weinschenk.
I honestly don't know a single UX professional that has not read these books. These book contain some of the basic principles of how UX should be approached. While not the be-all to end-all, they provide a solid stone in the foundation of UX.