The initial interview with the Head of Product (no HR involvement) was straightforward and easy to navigate. Communication was clear, and the conversation felt constructive.
The second stage was a technical interview with two engineers. The questions were very broad and open-ended, which made them difficult to answer concisely in the format provided. This was followed by a short design exercise where I was asked how I would improve several app screens. As I began discussing the improvements from a holistic UX perspective — explaining the user context and reasoning behind potential changes — there seemed to be some confusion, with an expectation that I focus purely on visual adjustments. This gave me the impression that there may be limited alignment or shared understanding of the UX discipline within the team.
The session also felt quite rushed, which made it difficult to have a thoughtful discussion.
The take-home task was reasonable and well-structured. The final round was with the CEO. When I asked about company culture, the response was: “People here are stressed. They basically come here, do their work while wearing multiple hats, and go home.” I appreciated the honesty, though this raised concerns for me about workload expectations and overall work environment.
Overall, while parts of the process were smooth, there were several red flags that would give candidates pause.
