Zeus Learning Instructional Designer/UX Designer Interview Experience ft. Anish Patil
Summary
TLDRIn the COD podcast, Anish Patil, a UX designer at Zeus Learning, shares insights on the recruitment process for UX designers, which includes an aptitude test, HR and technical interviews, and a focus on design logic and portfolio presentation. He advises aspiring designers to avoid crash courses and instead practice and learn from mistakes, recommending Google's UX design course as a starting point. Patil emphasizes the importance of understanding design principles and having a strong case study project to demonstrate design thinking.
Takeaways
- 🎓 Anish Patil is an electronics engineer turned UX/instructional designer at Zeus Learning.
- 📝 The recruitment process for UX designers at Zeus Learning consists of three rounds: an aptitude test, a technical/HR interview, and a final technical interview.
- 🧠 The aptitude test includes a mix of short and long-form questions covering logical reasoning, verbal ability, and image/product analysis.
- 💡 Candidates are expected to demonstrate their thought process and reasoning behind their aptitude test answers during the HR/technical interview.
- 📑 A strong design portfolio and case study showcasing design logic are crucial for UX role applicants.
- 🛠 For aspiring designers, Anish recommends starting with Google's UX design course and then replicating existing designs to build confidence.
- 🎨 It's important for designers to master at least one design tool like Figma, Photoshop, or XD to improve efficiency and expertise.
- 🚫 Avoid short crash courses and focus on consistent practice and learning from mistakes to become a better designer.
- 🔍 A logical mindset and understanding of UX principles are more important for a UX role than a design degree.
- 📈 Having a well-thought-out case study and side projects that demonstrate UI abilities can significantly enhance a candidate's portfolio.
- 💼 For freshers, it's beneficial to have a main project that is a case study ready to be presented during interviews.
Q & A
How many rounds are there in the recruitment process for a User Experience Designer at Zeus Learning?
-There are three rounds in the recruitment process for a User Experience Designer at Zeus Learning: an aptitude test, a technical or HR interview, and a final technical interview.
What types of questions can candidates expect in the aptitude test round for a UX Designer role at Zeus Learning?
-Candidates can expect a mix of short and long-form questions that may include con-based, aptitude, logic-based, and verbal ability questions. They might also encounter quiz-based questions and product or image-based questions where they need to identify issues or suggest features.
What is the focus of the second round of interviews for a UX Designer at Zeus Learning?
-The second round is a mix of technical and HR questions. It focuses on the candidate's responses from the aptitude test, their thought process behind those responses, and may also involve presenting a design portfolio.
How important is it for a candidate to have a design portfolio when applying for a UX Designer role at Zeus Learning?
-Having a design portfolio is crucial as it allows candidates to showcase their design thinking and capabilities. It should include a well-thought-out case study and may also feature side projects demonstrating UI abilities.
What advice does Anish Patil give for aspiring engineers or designers preparing for UX roles?
-Anish Patil suggests that aspiring engineers or designers should have a strong understanding of design principles and laws, and should be prepared with a good case study project and some UI projects. He also recommends starting with existing projects to gain confidence before creating projects from scratch.
What resources does Anish Patil recommend for someone starting their UX journey?
-Anish Patil recommends the Google course on UX design as a starting point, which provides necessary resources for beginners. He also suggests replicating existing projects found on Behance or Dribbble to gain practical experience.
How does Anish Patil view the importance of design tools for a UX Designer?
-Anish Patil emphasizes the importance of having expertise in at least one design tool, such as Figma, Photoshop, or XD, as it can significantly improve efficiency and quality of work.
What mistake does Anish Patil advise aspiring designers to avoid?
-Anish Patil advises against falling for quick crash courses that promise to make one a designer in a short period. Instead, he suggests continuous practice, learning from mistakes, and not repeating them.
What is the one thing Anish Patil thinks is crucial for a UX role regardless of whether one is from an engineering or design school?
-Anish Patil believes that having a strong logical foundation and understanding of UX principles is crucial for a UX role, regardless of one's educational background.
How does Anish Patil suggest improving design skills?
-Anish Patil suggests improving design skills by studying interesting designs or products, trying to replicate them, and then adding one's own touch to understand the design process deeply.
Outlines
🎙️ Interview Introduction and Recruitment Process
The paragraph introduces Anish Patil, an electronics engineering graduate from Mumbai University, who is currently working as a UX or instructional designer at Zeus Learning. Anish discusses the recruitment process for UX designers at Zeus Learning, which consists of three rounds: an aptitude test, an HR or technical interview, and a final technical interview. The aptitude test includes a variety of questions such as logical reasoning, verbal ability, and image/product-based questions. Candidates are advised to be prepared to explain their thought process behind their aptitude test answers and to present their design portfolio or case studies during the interviews. Anish emphasizes the importance of having a strong design logic and understanding UX principles for the role.
🔍 Deep Dive into Interview Rounds
Anish elaborates on the second round of interviews, which focuses on the candidate's responses from the first assessment. Interviewers may ask questions based on the candidate's previous answers to understand their reasoning. Candidates are also expected to present their design projects, which could be scrutinized for their overall thinking and behavior. Anish suggests that candidates should have a well-thought-out case study and side projects to demonstrate their UI abilities. He advises against focusing on small design elements and instead recommends designing complete features or components, such as a Spotify play bar or menu, to showcase a deeper understanding of UX design.
🛠️ Tools and Resources for Aspiring Designers
Anish shares his experience and suggests resources for aspiring engineers looking to enter the field of UX or UI design. He recommends starting with Google's UX design course, which provides a comprehensive foundation for beginners. He advises against trying to learn every design tool at once and instead suggests mastering one tool before exploring others. Anish also emphasizes the importance of having a good understanding of design tools to improve efficiency. He mentions that candidates often make the mistake of chasing new tools instead of gaining expertise in one.
🚀 Advice for Engineering Students and Future Designers
Anish provides advice for engineering students and aspiring designers, particularly those looking to join the design field in 2025. He stresses that having a logical mindset and a strong grasp of UX principles is more important than having a design degree. He encourages candidates to have a solid project or case study to showcase their understanding of UX design. Anish advises against enrolling in quick crash courses, suggesting that design skills require consistent practice and learning from mistakes. He recommends studying existing designs, replicating them to understand the design process, and then applying personal touches to improve and innovate.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡User Experience Designer
💡Instructional Designer
💡Aptitude Test
💡Technical Interview
💡Design Portfolio
💡Gestalt Principles
💡Case Study
💡UI Overhaul
💡Google UX Design Course
💡Design Tools
💡Crash Courses
Highlights
Anish Patil, an electronics engineer, currently working as a UX designer at Zeus Learning.
Zeus Learning's recruitment process for UX designers consists of three rounds: an aptitude test, an HR or technical interview, and a final technical interview.
The aptitude test includes questions on logical reasoning, verbal ability, and image or product analysis.
Candidates may be asked to identify issues or suggest features for a given product or image.
After the first round, candidates may receive a message for a technical or HR interview within a week.
The second round focuses on the candidate's responses from the aptitude test and may include a design portfolio presentation.
Design thinking and understanding of UX principles are crucial for the UX role.
The final technical interview often involves discussing a candidate's design portfolio and overall thinking process.
Candidates are advised to have a well-thought-out case study showcasing their design process from start to end.
UI projects demonstrating the ability to design components are also beneficial for UX role applicants.
Anish recommends Google's UX design course as a starting point for aspiring designers.
It's important for designers to have expertise in at least one design tool to improve efficiency.
Avoiding crash courses and focusing on consistent practice is advised for aspiring designers.
Having a logical approach and a solid understanding of UX principles is more important than the academic background for a UX role.
Candidates should be prepared to discuss their thought process and reasoning behind their design decisions.
Replicating existing designs and then making improvements is a good way to practice and learn.
Anish emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes and not repeating them in the design process.
The podcast provides valuable insights for students looking to pursue a career in UX or design roles.
Transcripts
[Music]
so yeah uh again welcome in COD podcast
and today we have Anish patil who is
currently working at Zeus learning as
user experience designer or you can also
say instructional designer so first of
all welcome Anish in COD podcast
thanks yeah hi guys my name is Anish
ptin and I have completed my engineering
in electronics engineering from Mumbai
University and I'm currently in Zeus
learning as an ux designer or an
instructional
design okay great so first of all uh
let's understand the number of rounds at
Zeus learning and how many rounds were
there and what type of round uh anyone
can expect uh while applying or while
going through Z learning recruitment
process for user experience
designer yeah um for ux designers there
were three rounds the first round was an
aptitude test U and second round was in
um HR or a technical Dr HR and Technical
Dr and the third round was also a
technical Dr for me uh for the uh
aptitude test uh the users uh the
candidates who are applying can expect
various questions short form and long
form uh they can include they can expect
con based questions aptitude questions
uh logic based questions and verbal
ability questions also uh they can
expect uh quiz based questions also um
yeah in long form questions uh you can
expect something like an image or a
product which is described to you and uh
you may need to U give its functionality
add on its functionality or you may have
to point out what is wrong with that
product or with uh whatever is presented
to you either a graph or an image
yeah so okay so uh candidates can expect
the question based on cons logical
reasoning verbal ability and image or
product based question where uh
candidates have to identify the mistake
from that image or uh suggest some
feature to some product right right okay
so after clearing first round uh what
what what was the next process or what
will be the next
process uh so after clearing the first
round uh you'll receive a message and
within a week or so um there will be a
technical or HR based wherein you will
be ask asked questions based on your
previous responses so whatever responses
were made in the aptitude test uh so
let's say if you have answered something
uh correctly or incorrectly uh you may
be asked what was your reasoning or
thought process behind your answers so
uh the candidates who are applying
should be mindful of that and also um if
you have a design portfolio or you have
made a case study of uh designs
uh they might ask them to present their
designs as well so yeah these two things
the candidate should be well prepared
with also for ux I think the uh major uh
key is to be ready with the the design
Logics right uh so for example gestal
principles or the ux based laws which we
study so the candidates must be well
aware of these things also
while uh preparing for the
interviews okay so your design thinking
uh should be strong for for the ux role
uh the first the ux role is right the ux
role is like majorly about the logic um
it's it's about the design as well but
majorly about the logic as to how the
things will function rather than how the
thing will
look right
so okay so uh this type of question user
uh candidates can expect in the first
round
so uh after clearing the second round
there will be uh again one more
technical round right as you said in my
case there was technical um for the
second
interview okay so uh what candidate can
expect in the second round of inter view
so like uh the first round was based on
uh like the response that you have uh
given in the first assessment So based
on that uh interviewer might ask the
question on your response or your log
behind that response and also also
candidates have to present their design
project so questions can be asked on
that design so what
what can be asked in the second round of
interview uh yeah right so the second
round of interviews as well um I
presented my design portfolio in the
second round as well um uh so majorly I
got questions upon those things and also
the second round was a bit uh to check
for the candidates uh overall uh
thinking and their behavior so so I
think it was a mix of uh HR I can say as
well but uh yeah the second round was
majorly uh in which I showed my design
Port okay so uh do you think your design
uh should have a sense like uh for ux
role or like for some UI role uh
candidates just design design stuff on
wipes so
for ux RO what do you
think for fresher roles
yeah uh right that's a very good point
actually uh because I have noticed
candidates they do these 100 days design
challenges as well and in that they
design a small notifications car slider
or a button and its different states so
I feel personally that is not quite
useful while showing it to an interview
uh the main thing being it is just a
function on the main page on the major
page right so if I uh take a page for
example of Spotify I can divide that
patient to various uh buttons or various
uh features such as I can u i can design
a screen of the uh bar uh which is the
play for bar and I can present it
separately I can present the card
separately I can present the menu
separately so I think candidates must
have a uh proper case study with them
which is logical and which is well
thought through from start to end and
they can have side projects which can
demonstrate the UI abilities um to
better uh present uh to better uh
present what the you what you
capabilities they have or what design
thinking they have but majorly they
should have a uh main project which is a
case study uh at the disposal ready to
be uh demonstrated to the
interviews okay so uh it's good to have
a case study in uh in our projects for
ux role and also uh we can have a UI
projects for uh like how you design
stuff or or how you design any
particular component so yeah yeah
okay okay so U
yeah yeah yeah
continue uh yeah so for example I have
seen projects where uh they have UI
overhauled swiigy and zomato dashboards
and dashboards and Main pages so that is
good I feel uh if you find anything uh
which in lines with the laws which I
just mentioned so let's say swii has
done something which does not comp
comply with the
laws working logic that could have been
better or shown in a better way so that
projects are good to have because you
have thought through that uh point which
a major company has
yeah it shows uh that the candidate has
an uh good sense of the design and what
the user
actually okay so yeah Anish what
resources you have used for your ux or
UI Journey or what resources you will
suggest for aspiring Engineers to get
into this
journey yeah um so the aspiring
Engineers are basically I assume they
have a little knowledge about the
uiux um my goto was the Google uh course
on ux design in cor so I think they have
all the necessary resources which a
beginner needs uh to start their ux
Journey uh from then on they can uh try
to basically replicate what they see on
be hands or dribble
so if they find the case study
interesting uh they can try to uh they
can try to get their hands on that case
study and they can try to basically uh
make a few changes here and there so U
the reason for that being is if uh a
user if a candidate starts in case study
from the scratch they have no idea key
where to start um how to do um our uh uh
how to do basic uh research or uh how to
do user testing and uh where to ask
questions how to find resources so uh my
idea is ke basically just copy uh
existing project try to give it give
your own touch to it and from then when
you gain confidence by doing one project
uh you can try and basically uh do uh a
project from start from scratch and all
these uh things are mentioned in that uh
Google course uh ke how to do your user
testing uh how to write ask the right
questions to the user how to find the
problem statement for your uh uh case
study so yeah I think that's a major uh
way to start get started in your U
journey and there are quite a few
resources available as of now now you
can uh try uh CH GPT where you can ask
for a road map and you can also ask uh
key uh give me some resources which are
available for free online and it will
suggest you uh free resources and also
case studies so
yeah okay so that's the major ux
resource for Preparation like Google
user experience course right right right
so so let's move to the next question so
what do you think tools know like figma
Photoshop design tools like
XD for uh ux
role who actually having a knowledge
about the tools that we use in our
day-to-day Life as a designer is very
crucial I feel for because um in figmas
if you don't know the shortcuts you will
do the same work as uh I do but I'll
take more time and you will do it in
five or 10 minutes which I'll take an
hour to do so uh having a good knowledge
about your tools is I think very crucial
and uh for design right uh there are
vast ma vast number of tools which one
can use from Photoshop to illustrators
figma HD there are multiple but uh my
recommendation is to have an expertise
in one tool and then try to explore
other tools right uh I see uh candidates
making the mistake that they try to
learn each and every tool at the same
time so they get confused Photoshop
illustrator figma
HD let's say or and Market will come up
with tools every month right every once
they'll come up with a new tool and the
candidates will chase for the new tools
he I have to start learning this as well
this as well but if you uh hold on to a
tool get an expertise of the tool and
then try to explore other tools that
would be very good and that would not
basically waste your time and uh
basically you will be able to get hands
on one tool and grow your
expertise Okay so so we should have
expertise in at least one Tool uh like
it will be good so let's move to the
next uh question uh we just talk about
tools so after tools what will you
suggest or what uh message you will give
for aspiring Engineers or designers who
are applying for
2025 companies the companies who are
hiring for 2025 pass uh pass out batch
so what message you will share from your
experience and your engineering
experience
basically right so getting into design
is a little tricky if we belong to an
engineering field because uh various
companies they need an engineering uh
they need a design degree for it so you
must be from a design school or of that
sorts but I feel ke uh it is not that
important if you are a engineer or you
are from a design school uh for a ux
role I feel having the logic is crucial
so if you have your logic straight and
if you have uh your Basics ready so all
the principles all the ux laws which we
discussed if you have got all that uh
sorted and you have a good uh project
good case study project and some UI
projects to P then I feel you are pretty
much ready to enter into the design
field and to get ready for the
interviewers who are for the
2025 joining yeah okay
and what that one thing you are
suggesting to avoid for that batch uh
for upcoming batch or aspiring
Engineers uh the one thing I'll tell
them to avoid is basically
to uh not fall for these quick uh
courses crash courses which we see 14
day courses 21 days courses yeah uh I
feel they are not that useful and uh one
cannot be a designer in 14 or 21 days so
uh keep practicing
that's the basics of it uh to keep
practicing to get better you will do
mistakes for sure and it's okay to make
make mistakes but uh to uh learn from
that mistakes and to not repeat make do
new mistakes every time but don't repeat
your mistake basically and U yeah uh try
to get your head around how the design
looks how the design functions if you
see
um something some page if you visit some
page which you feel is quite interesting
uh not just Pages for suppose if you see
sorry a product which is interesting you
like the feel of the design you like uh
how the way they have packaged it so try
to get behind their uh perspective of
how they should they would have designed
it and uh try to replicate it first and
then try to uh give your don't touch to
that design or
thatu okay so that's a really helpful
advice for aspiring designers or
Engineers uh so yeah Anish uh that was
insightful conversation with you uh
thanks for coming at COD uh this podcast
will definitely help uh help student who
want to pursue their career in ux or
design roles so yeah thank you yeah
thank you so much
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