⏰ How to Hire the Right UXer in 60 Minutes (Without Wasting Anyone’s Time)

A focused, high-signal interview process that respects both sides

Feb 22, 2025

👋 Happy Saturday, my dear UX friends, Marina here!

Today's newsletter comes from a situation I'm betting some of you have faced or will face as you grow in your career.

Here's the problem we are going to be solving this week:

"Hi! I'm in a bit of a tough spot. I started as the first UX designer at [successful startup] 3 years ago, and as we've grown, I naturally evolved into leading our UX team. The first few hires were great - I knew exactly what we needed, and my gut instinct served me well.
But recently, I've hit a wall…our last 2 hires didn't work out, despite looking perfect on paper and interviewing well.
One struggled with the pace and couldn't handle feedback, while the other had great portfolio work but couldn't replicate that quality independently.
I'm now gun-shy about making our next hire, and my CEO is (understandably) asking questions about our hiring process.
How do I develop a more reliable hiring framework?
I can't keep relying on intuition alone, but I'm not sure what a proper hiring system looks like. Help!"

This email really resonated with me, because it's so relatable to my own past hiring experiences - with some amazing hires and some less than stellar ones. I feel your pain! What helped me, and I’m sure will help you, is moving from intuitive to systematic hiring.

Let's break this down into a framework I call the "4D Hiring System" -

Decode → Design → Detect → Develop

1. Decode → Understanding What You REALLY Need

The first mistake many new hiring managers make is jumping straight to writing [usually pretty generic] job descriptions without deeply understanding their actual current needs.

And look, I get it - proper hiring prep feels like a lot of work when you're already stretched thin.

But here's the thing: you stepped up to lead a team, and building a solid hiring system is part of that leadership journey.

Think of it this way - the time you invest now in creating a thoughtful hiring process will save you countless hours of dealing with mis-hires later.

Plus, it's one of those foundational management skills that will serve you throughout your career.

What specific problems will this person solve?
What gaps exist in your current team's capabilities?
What level of autonomy do you actually need from this hire?
What's the real day-to-day work going to look like?

Pro tip: Write this out before looking at any resumes or job descriptions.

( I've seen too many leaders get swayed by impressive candidates before really knowing what they needed.)

2. Design → The “60-Minute Power Interview”

Let's revolutionize the UX interview process.

Right now I'm testing something radical:

A focused, high-signal 60-minute evaluation that respects everyone's time while giving you the insights you need.

Here are 2 possible options (choose one based on your situation and your team’s availability) ↴

👉 OPTION A

The Solo Manager Deep Dive (60 minutes)

⏰ Minutes 0-15: → Portfolio Deep Dive With a Twist

Instead of a traditional walkthrough, ask them to present their biggest project failure and how they turned it around
Listen for → Self-awareness, problem-solving approach, stakeholder management
Green flags → Specific examples of iteration, clear learnings, impact metrics
Red flags → Blame-shifting, inability to articulate learnings

⏰ Minutes 15-35 → Real-Time Design Challenge

Present a real, thorny problem your team is currently facing
Ask them think aloud (and sketch sketch something if they like) for 10 minutes
Introduce a major constraint at minute 5 (e.g., "Engineering just cut the timeline in half")
Spend 10 minutes discussing their approach and alternatives
Green flags → Asks clarifying questions, adapts quickly, considers business constraints
Red flags → Jumps to solutions, ignores new constraints, can't explain decisions

⏰ Minutes 35-55 → Rapid-Fire Scenarios

Choose a few scenarios like this :

"Our CEO hates your design. What do you do?"
"Your junior designer is struggling. How do you help?"
"Engineering says your design will take 6 months. Response?"
"Research contradicts your design direction. Your move?"

Watch for:
Decision-making speed
Communication style
Prioritization skills

⏰ Minutes 55-60 → Their Questions and Close

The questions they ask tell you as much as their answers
Green flags → Questions about team dynamics, growth opportunities, business challenges
Red flags → No questions or only self-serving questions

👉 OPTION B

The Split Session (30min + 30min)

⏰ First 30 → Manager Strategic Assessment

10 min → Biggest career challenge and resolution
10 min → Real-time problem-solving (give them a current challenge)
10 min → Future vision and growth discussion

⏰ Second 30→ Team Tactical Deep Dive

15 min → Collaborative brainstorm on a real problem
10 min → Team asks about past collaboration experiences
5 min → Candidate questions for the team

🌟 The Magic Multipliers

These techniques amplify the signal from your short interview (and save everyone’s time 😉)—

1️⃣ Pre-Interview Prep

Send them 1 current challenge you're facing
Ask them to come ready to discuss it
NO preparation required from the candidate beyond thinking about it
Explains your context but respects their time.

2️⃣ The "Show Don't Tell" Principle

Instead of asking how they handle feedback, give them direct feedback during the session (radical candor style) and see how they react.
Rather than asking about collaboration, create micro-collaboration moments
Don't ask about process - watch their process in real-time

3️⃣ The Constraint Game

Always introduce unexpected constraints or changes
Reveals adaptability and thinking speed
Shows how they handle pressure and ambiguity

4️⃣ The Team Crosscheck

If doing the split session, have team and manager independently rate specific attributes
Compare notes only after both sessions
Look for patterns and disconnects

👉 Pro Tips for Implementation:

Record detailed notes immediately after
Use a simple 1-5 rating on key attributes
Trust your gut but verify with specific examples
Always have a backup interviewer on call
Schedule buffer time for note-taking after

The goal isn't to see everything about a candidate in 60 minutes.
It's to see enough of the right things to make an informed decision.

This format forces both parties to bring their best selves and creates natural pressure that reveals true capabilities.

3. Detect → Red and Green Flags

Here are the patterns I've learned to watch for:

✅ Green Flags:

Shows flexible process in their portfolio
Asks thoughtful questions about team dynamics
Can articulate past failures and learnings
Demonstrates curiosity about your business context
Shows evidence of growing others

🚩 Red Flags:

Perfect-looking portfolio with one-size-fits-all process or no process documentation.
Speaks in very generic terms
Difficulty providing specific examples
Defensive about feedback
Vague answers about team conflicts
Over-emphasis on tools and techniques vs. outcomes

4. Develop → Post-Hire Success System

Here's the part most hiring frameworks miss

What to do after you've made the hire

🗓 The First 90 Days:

Week 1: Clear expectations and success metrics
Weeks 2-4: Close monitoring and frequent feedback
Weeks 5-8: Graduated autonomy with checkpoints
Weeks 9-12: Performance calibration

😩 If/When Things Go Wrong with Your Hire:

A struggling hire is often a reflection of unclear expectations or inadequate support.

Before concluding they're a "bad hire," ask yourself:

Have I been clear about:
- Performance expectations?
- Communication preferences?
- Decision-making authority?
Have I provided:
- Regular, specific feedback?
- Necessary resources?
- Clear growth pathways?

If you've missed any of these, that's your first fix.

If you've covered all bases and still see issues, then it's time for↴

⛑ The Rescue Plan

Direct conversation about observed gaps
Written improvement plan with specific metrics
Weekly check-ins with documented progress
Clear timeline for improvement
Exit plan if metrics aren't met

Making This Framework Your Own

Start small!

Document your current hiring process
Identify one area to systematize first
Create evaluation criteria for that area
Test with your next hire
Iterate based on results

Remember:
Your first systematic hire won't be perfect, but it will be better than pure intuition.
The goal is continuous improvement of your hiring process.

Your Action Items for This Week:

Map your current hiring process
Identify your biggest hiring pain point
Create one systematic element to address it
Share your framework with your team for feedback

See you next Saturday!

-Marina

P.S.

Every great leader had to learn hiring systematically.

Your past "intuitive" success doesn't guarantee future results, but it does give you valuable data points to build your system on!

📌 A few more ways I can help you ↴

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