Tips For Hiring the Best UI/UX Developers For Your Team
Last update: 11 January 2024 at 11:48 am
3.67/5In this competitive digital landscape, the need for creating interaction-rich web applications has become mandatory. Not only do design-driven businesses end up creating winning products but they also have a better chance of succeeding in the digital marketplace. And to make this happen, hiring UI/UX developers is a must.
But, it is not just about hiring a designer or developer. You need to track down a true professional who can help you design a user interface that obtains the results you have imagined for your company.
Also, there are various options – a freelancer, an in-house UX designer or a dedicated UX designer. And all of these experts with varying job title have their fair share of downsides and advantages. This means you will require spending a good deal of time determining which one of these suits your needs the best.
In this blog, we will take an in-depth look into the hiring process, determine places where you can find competent experts and how you can evaluate the candidates along with the onboarding and retaining process.
So, let’s begin!
1- Start by Identifying Your User Interface Needs
When it comes to brand strategy and prioritization, a designer, irrespective of expertise, plays a key role. But, the UI/UX developer has a crucial understanding of what the digital customers might need and want. Their focus mainly lies in the appearance of interference, including the colours, icons, styling and buttons – graphic design elements that prioritize a product’s utility.
With UI and UX design, brand managers can focus on enhancing both purposefulness and emotions to hold the emotions of the users for longer. Besides, such user interface and designs help maximize emotional involvement, engagement with your product and overall conversion rate.
A competent UI/UX designer can handle numerous responsibilities at your firm, including –
- Understand your business goals
- Conduct competitor analysis
- Create user personas
- Has expertise in tools like Adobe Photoshop along with coding languages
- Track the user flows
- Develop wireframe and clickable prototypes
- Create, user interface guidelines and UX design system
2- Where to Look for Candidates
Here are a few places you can probably look when hiring or shortlisting designers –
2.1- Job boards and online communities
The first thing that you can do to locate competent designers is through job boards and online communities. Do you have any notable job listing websites in your country? If yes, use them to your benefit.
Before you post the job listings on such platforms, ensure that you develop a solid company job listing – one that specifies your requirements for the digital products, the skills (for example knowledge in certain programming languages like JavaScript, design tools like Adobe Illustrator, etc.,) you are looking for in a UI developer, the experience of the designer, roles and responsibilities and a brief on salary package and benefits can prove an excellent selling point.
2.2 – Networking events and industry conferences
Do you often attend industry conferences and networking events? Perhaps they could be your golden ticket to finding your next UI/UX developer.
Such events help you interact with experts in the UX role. Check if they can provide you with any references. Also, many job seekers tend to attend such events with the aim of impressing industry giants. Many experts in user experiences look up to such events to achieve a pivot in their career path.
Consider keeping your organization’s contact info and perhaps a QR code that directs the UI developer to the job details, thereby providing relevant details onsite.
2.3 – Referrals from colleagues and employees
To advance their career, many people tend to acquire new skill sets and certifications digitally. You may not even realize that your internal team might have a UI/UX developer.
Start by checking if anyone on your team is acquainted with the skills and expertise you are after. If so, they should be your first preference. This way, you can save most of the hiring process.
You can also request referrals from hiring managers, your colleagues, and employees who work as front-end developers or managers in their job titles.
2.4 – Outsourcing options
Yet another excellent way of finding experts for your UI/UX design expectations is through outsourcing agencies. They could be an excellent option, especially if you lack the technology resources and budget to hire in-house experts and create a dedicated infrastructure.
Most agencies tend to offer a wide range of services. You can either avail of them all or choose the services that you need the most, thereby saving a few dollars.
3- Evaluating Candidates
Once you start receiving the CVs of the interested UI and UX software developer, you will require taking a few measures to evaluate the back-end web developers. These include –
3.1- Reviewing UX developer resumes and portfolios
The very first thing to do is review the resumes and CVs submitted by the interested UI developers. Check whether or not the UI developers have the relevant qualifications, skills and experience required to carry out the UI/UX development for your firm.
Also, ensure to cross-check the portfolio for the style of work you are interested in. The UI designer must have excellent research and analytics skills along with a good sense of creating aesthetically pleasing designs.
3.2- Conducting initial phone or video interviews
Once you shortlist the UI designers based on your requirements, proceed to conduct the initial interaction through emails, messages or calls.
This initial interaction should be used to deliver vital details, such as showcasing your interest in the candidate’s profile, asking about the experience he or she has had in the industry, salary expectations, etc.,
Once you deem the UI designer relevant for your firm, proceed with scheduling a video interview. This could be the first interview round.
3.3- Administering skills tests or design challenges
During the video interview, it is the time to determine how focused and up-to-the-mark the candidate is in describing him or herself with his or her work.
Do you find the UI designer up-to-the-date with the visual design industry standards? Does he or she have relevant experience you are behind? Can he or she present ideas accurately in front of the other team members? Can he or she conduct relevant research to identify the target audience? How does he or she handles UX design challenges and so on?
Keep in mind a UI design goes beyond visual and interactive elements. The UI designer you hire to handle UI design must possess excellent interpersonal skills, too.
The UX developer you wish to hire must share similar values as your firm.
3.4- Hosting in-person interviews or trial periods
Now that you have an overview of your web developer, it is time to call them for an in-person interview. This is where you can determine which research tools and UX technology the UX developer is familiar with, such as Adobe creative suite, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Sketch, Figma or others. Gain an in-depth idea of the candidate’s past work or give him or her a test task.
If you’re considering hiring an outsourcing UI/UX design agency, you will want to check what services they offer. Typically, agencies have a dedicated package that features a bunch of services, including but isn’t limited to the –
- Web development with user interface/user experience design
- Mobile user interface design/user experience design
- Data visualisation
- Research on user behaviour and user journey
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Data-driven UI design
- Information architecture
- Interactive design and brand identity
Also, their UX design services are based on an initial audit that helps them understand your current strengths and weaknesses.
When hiring a UI design agency, ensure to choose one that has been working with clients similar to your industry niche. Determine what UI design tools they use. Do their tools match with those you currently use? Will they update the technical knowledge as per the latest down the line?
And don’t forget to request a trial period before you proceed with hiring a user interface design agency for a longer period.
4- Making the hire
Once you finalize a candidate or candidates, it is time to discuss the further details, including –
4.1- Evaluating the candidate’s fit with the company culture
Now that you have a UX developer who seems like a perfect match for your firm, you need to spend time making the UX developer aware of your company’s culture.
Keep in mind employees are not just working machines. They are also the fabric of your firm. Hence, finding one that perfectly fits your current culture is important. Look for UI designers who can become the element your company currently doesn’t have.
Also, don’t run behind who is a “culture fit” instead, hire a UX developer who can be a culture expander at your firm. One who is capable of making relevant cultural shifts wherever necessary.
When making the hire, you should keep such pointers in front of your UI designers. Most people are looking for companies that go above and beyond to assist with a candidate’s success. If your company is capable of doing just that, this could be your chance to hire someone who sustains the company for a longer period.
4.2- Discussing salary, benefits, and expectations of UX designers
While at the hiring stage, it is worth sharing details about the salary, benefits and other expectations. If you wait any longer or perhaps provide this detail during the onboarding stage, you run the risk of losing the UX developer within a week of being hired.
While discussing the salary, it is worth asking the UX developer about his or her expectations first. The idea is to determine whether or not the UX developer is ready to work within the budget you have.
Expect to pay –
- £27,000-£33,000 to junior UI and UX designers with 1-3 years of experience
- £32,000 – £54,000 to mid-level UI and UX designer with 3-5 years of experience
- £48,000 – £67,000 to senior UI and UX designers with 5-7 years of experience
Also, while at it, provide details about the benefits the UX developer might receive once he/she starts working, such as weekend offs, comprehensive health benefits, wellness programs, mental health support, period leaves, maternity leaves, paid sick days, employee appreciation programs, development and training programs, pet-friendly office spaces and so on.
Last but not the least, share your expectations with the UX developer. Be clear about the induction period and what it might look like. Also, don’t forget to share working hours details, work expectations and other vital things.
4.3 – Extending the offer and finalising the hiring process
Once your hiring process is narrowed down to the “right candidate” you can consider extending your offer. And trust us, it will be worth it.
Of course, making changes to the offered salary package would be a costly affair for your firm. But if you know that the chosen UX developer is worth it, there is nothing wrong with having a little haggling room.
It is important to have transparent and candid conversations with the UX developer. Take your time to explain everything that is included in the offer made. And get ready to expect special requests from the UX developer, too.
If things are workable, considering the special request can be a worthy affair.
5 – Onboarding and Retaining Talent
5.1- Providing comprehensive onboarding and training
Even though your new UX developer will be aware of his or her job posting, it is a good idea to walk him or her through the responsibilities on the very first day.
Have an in-depth discussion of what their day-to-day tasks will look like. Who the UI developer is expected to work with and his or her key deliverables?
It is imperative that you provide the UI developer with clear and achievable goals that align with your firm’s objectives.
Besides providing the UI developer with company-wide training, it is imperative to give him or her role-specific training, too. Consider offering such training for at least a week or two so the newly joined employee isn’t blocked just because of improper training. Such training can be conducted by the brand managers or members who will be working closely with the employee.
Lastly, schedule weekly coaching sessions and check-ins to ensure a smooth onboarding process. Once the employee becomes more comfortable with the work environment, you can shift these meetings to a bi-weekly or monthly basis.
5.2 – Creating a supportive and collaborative work environment
A newly hired employee has zero knowledge of the work environment. Making him/her accustomed to it should be your priority.
Start by integrating the employee with the company’s work culture. Perhaps conduct a personal introduction, email or slack message, or all three of them. This could be an easy way of breaking the ice and starting the conversation between the new and existing employees.
To make the newly joined employee more comfortable, assign him or her a work buddy. The new UX developer may feel awkward bothering the brand manager multiple times a day. A work buddy could answer most of the new UX developer’s queries and help in improving his or her interaction with other development teams.
Other things you can do for the new team members include –
- Scheduling a welcome lunch
- Scheduling meetings with key co-workers
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Find an agency!5.3 – Offering opportunities for growth and development
Keep in mind onboarding is more important now than ever.
In this competitive landscape, finding a reliable and competent UI designer is highly challenging. If you have invested hours, weeks or even months finding one, it is imperative that you take relevant steps to retain the employee for the long run, too.
With a successful onboarding, you can improve the new employee’s engagement rate in the office. And when we say successful onboarding, we mean an onboarding process that highlights the growth and development opportunities that employees might gain at your firm.
Besides, onboarding helps construct and facilitate a trusting and supportive relationship between the new UI developer and their manager/development team members. It shows that the firm is dedicated to prioritizing employee comfort and development.
Proper onboarding results in better engagement levels, which eventually results in better profitability.
5.4 – Providing feedback and recognition
It is worth noting that the onboarding process should not remain the same forever. There is always an opportunity to continuously update and shape the process as you expand your business down the line.
Consider asking for feedback from the newly-joined UI/UX designer during the weekly check-ins and once their probation comes to an end.
Raise questions like –
- Is there something our firm could have done differently during your initial weeks of onboarding?
- Is the job posting the same as you expected? Are there any disparities?
- Have you received appropriate training using proper tools and software?
- Do you feel like a part of the team?
- Do you feel integrated into the firm’s work culture?
- Are there any blockers that you are facing? If yes, what are those?
- Do you have any suggestions or feedback on the way the onboarding was done?
Remember, the onboarding process should not feel like a task for the new UX designer or the brand manager, for that matter. Create an onboarding plan that engages people, keeps them happy and boosts productivity.
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Keep in mind hiring a reliable UX developer is not an overnight procedure. It may take you weeks before you find a UI/UX designer that actually resonates with your needs and expectations. You’ll require maintaining your patience.
Before you start your journey of hiring UX developers, identify your needs, then look in all the right places, including online communities and job boards.
Visit networking events, and ask colleagues and employees for referrals. And once you start with the interview process, don’t forget to thoroughly evaluate the UI/UX designer based on their visual design skillsets and other elements you feel will benefit your firm.
Last but not the least, streamline the onboarding process because the last thing you want is the UI/UX designer quitting a week later – you’ll require to start all over again!
