Interview Process Overview for Senior Product Designer (L5), Ad Experiences at Instacart

If you’re preparing for the Senior Product Designer (L5), Ad Experiences position at Instacart, here’s a comprehensive guide based on my experience and insights gathered from others who have gone through the interview process for this role. This includes detailed steps of the interview process, the types of questions you can expect, and tips on how to succeed.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for the Senior Product Designer (L5), Ad Experiences at Instacart typically includes multiple stages, focusing on your design skills, collaboration abilities, and how you align with Instacart’s business objectives. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Recruiter Screening Call

The process typically begins with an initial phone call with a recruiter. This is mainly a screening call to confirm your experience, motivation, and alignment with the role. You’ll discuss your background and previous experience, particularly around designing product experiences, with a focus on advertising.

Sample Questions:

• “Can you walk me through your experience working on ad products or monetization features?”
• “What excites you about the opportunity at Instacart, especially related to designing ad experiences?”
• “How do you approach balancing user experience with business goals in your designs?”

The recruiter will also explain the interview process, the team structure, and the role’s specific responsibilities.

2. Portfolio Review

The next step is usually a portfolio review. You’ll be asked to showcase a selection of your previous work, particularly highlighting projects related to ad experiences, product design, and mobile/web interfaces. Instacart will be looking for evidence of your design thinking, problem-solving abilities, and how well you’ve crafted user-centric solutions in past projects.

Portfolio Tips:

• Focus on projects that involve advertisement experiences, such as display ads, native ads, or eCommerce ad integrations.
• Show how your designs impacted business metrics (e.g., increased ad engagement, improved conversion rates).
• Provide detailed case studies that walk through your design process, from research to final execution, and explain how you collaborated with engineers and product managers.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of UI/UX principles and how you ensure ads are integrated seamlessly into the overall user experience without being intrusive.

3. Design Exercise

The design exercise stage is a critical part of the interview process. You’ll likely be given a design challenge related to ad experiences. This could involve a live or take-home task, where you’re asked to design an ad product feature or improve an existing ad system for Instacart.

Sample Design Exercise:

• “Design a native ad experience for Instacart’s mobile app that encourages users to purchase promoted products while keeping the experience seamless and non-intrusive.”
• “Imagine you have to redesign an ad format on the homepage of the app. How would you ensure that it aligns with the brand and provides value to users while still being effective for advertisers?”

The goal here is to evaluate your ability to solve complex design problems, balance user experience (UX) with business objectives, and create visually appealing and functional ad designs.

4. Technical & Collaboration Interview

This stage focuses on assessing your ability to work collaboratively with other teams, especially product managers, engineers, and data analysts. You’ll be asked about how you gather feedback, iterate on designs, and ensure that the final product meets business and user goals. Expect questions that test your experience working in agile environments and handling cross-functional collaboration.

Sample Questions:

• “How do you collaborate with product managers when defining the requirements for an ad product?”
• “Tell us about a time when you had to revise your design based on feedback from engineers or other stakeholders. How did you handle it?”
• “How do you incorporate data and user feedback into your design process?”

Instacart places significant value on designers who can work cross-functionally and manage design iterations effectively. You’ll need to show that you can work with engineers to ensure feasibility and that you can adapt your designs based on feedback from multiple stakeholders.

5. Behavioral Interview

In the behavioral interview, you’ll be asked questions designed to assess your cultural fit and how you handle challenges, feedback, and collaboration. Instacart values candidates who can adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, as well as those who are driven by both user-centric design and business outcomes.

Sample Behavioral Questions:

• “Tell me about a time you worked on a project that didn’t go as planned. How did you handle it?”
• “Describe a situation where you had to advocate for a design decision that was in conflict with business goals. How did you manage that conversation?”
• “How do you handle tight deadlines and multiple competing priorities?”

The behavioral interview also assesses how well you align with Instacart’s values, which include collaboration, agility, and a customer-centric mindset. Be prepared to showcase examples of how you’ve thrived in similar environments.

6. Final Interview with Senior Leadership

The final round typically involves meeting with senior leadership within the design team or cross-functional stakeholders like product or marketing leads. This interview is designed to assess how you align with Instacart’s long-term strategy and your potential to contribute to the company’s vision for ad products.

Sample Questions:

• “What do you think are the most significant challenges in designing ad products for a platform like Instacart, and how would you approach them?”
• “How do you stay updated with trends in ad design, and how do you incorporate those trends into your work?”
• “Instacart is constantly innovating in the eCommerce space. How would you drive innovation in the design of our ad experiences?”

This interview focuses on strategic thinking, your ability to stay informed on industry trends, and your potential to make a long-term impact at Instacart. Be ready to talk about your vision for the future of ad experiences in the eCommerce space and how your design work can help Instacart achieve its business objectives.

Key Skills and Tools for Success

To excel in the Senior Product Designer (L5), Ad Experiences role, you’ll need the following skills:

• Product Design: Strong proficiency in designing for mobile and web, with a particular focus on ad formats, monetization features, and user engagement.
• User Experience (UX): Experience in designing seamless and non-intrusive ad experiences that prioritize user needs while achieving business goals.
• Collaboration: Experience working closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders in an agile environment.
• Tools: Proficiency with Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD for design; InVision for prototyping; Zeplin for handoff to developers.
• Understanding of Advertising Principles: Knowledge of native ads, display ads, A/B testing, and ad optimization techniques.

Final Tips for Preparation

• Practice design challenges: Be ready to work on live design problems, especially related to ad products. Focus on user-centric designs that balance business objectives.
• Refine your portfolio: Highlight projects that showcase your expertise in designing ad products and monetization features.
• Know Instacart’s business: Understand Instacart’s product and ad models, and think about how your design work can support their business strategy.
• Prepare for collaboration questions: Be ready to discuss how you’ve worked with cross-functional teams in the past and how you handle feedback.