Principal Product Designer | OneMicrosoft Growth Team Interview Experience

I recently interviewed for the Principal Product Designer role on the OneMicrosoft Growth team, and I’d like to share my experience. This role focuses on creating intuitive, engaging, and impactful user experiences for the Microsoft Rewards program, which integrates across various Microsoft products and services. The position requires expertise in UX/UI design, strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and design leadership. Here’s a breakdown of the interview process, key topics covered, and examples of questions I faced.

1. Overview of the Interview Process

The interview process for the Principal Product Designer role on the OneMicrosoft Growth team was thorough and multi-phased. It focused on assessing both design expertise and strategic thinking, with a strong emphasis on leadership and how well you can drive growth through design.

Initial Screening Call

The process started with a phone screening with a recruiter. This was an introductory conversation about the role and my background. The recruiter was looking to understand my experience in product design, particularly in areas related to growth, acquisition funnels, and user engagement.

• Example Question: “Can you tell me about a time when you designed a product feature that contributed to growth or user retention? What strategies did you implement to measure success?”

Portfolio Review

The next step was a portfolio review with a Senior Designer on the team. I was asked to walk through a few key projects from my portfolio, with a focus on work that involved consumer engagement, user retention, and gamification. The interviewer was particularly interested in understanding my design process, how I approached user research, and how I iterated on designs based on feedback and metrics.

• Example Question: “Can you walk us through a project where you focused on improving user engagement? What design decisions did you make based on user feedback or metrics?”

Phone Interviews

After the portfolio review, I had two phone interviews:

Design Thinking & Growth Focused:

This interview centered around growth-focused design. I was given a design challenge that required me to conceptualize a product feature aimed at increasing user engagement or retention for a Microsoft product. The interviewer wanted to understand how I thought about designing for growth, particularly in terms of metrics, user feedback, and scalability.

• Example Question: “Imagine Microsoft wants to improve user retention for a new feature in Microsoft 365. How would you design the feature and ensure it keeps users coming back?”

Behavioral Interview:

The second interview focused on my leadership and collaboration skills. As a Principal Product Designer, the role requires significant collaboration with product managers, engineers, and cross-functional teams. The interviewer was interested in how I manage design projects, handle conflicts, and influence stakeholders to align with design goals.

• Example Question: “Tell me about a time when you worked with product managers and engineers to implement a feature that required compromises. How did you ensure the final design aligned with both user needs and business goals?”

Onsite Interviews

The onsite was the most comprehensive part of the interview process and consisted of multiple rounds:

Design Challenge & Whiteboarding:

The first round was a live design challenge on a whiteboard. I was tasked with designing a feature aimed at improving user engagement for a Microsoft product. The challenge focused on my ability to iterate quickly, prioritize features, and present a clear user flow. The interviewers were interested in how I approached user problems, visual hierarchy, and information architecture.

• Example Challenge: “Design a feature for Microsoft Teams that helps users stay on track with their daily tasks. How would you approach this, considering both functionality and user engagement?”

Portfolio Deep Dive:

In this round, the interviewers wanted a more in-depth look at specific projects from my portfolio. They asked me to discuss how my designs impacted growth and how I collaborated with other teams (engineering, product, and marketing) to ensure successful implementation.

• Example Question: “You worked on a project that focused on user retention. How did you use data to inform your design decisions, and what were the results?”

Collaboration and Cross-functional Work:

This round assessed how I work with cross-functional teams. Given the collaborative nature of the OneMicrosoft Growth team, the interviewers asked how I work with product managers, engineers, and marketers to ensure the design vision is executed effectively.

• Example Question: “Tell us about a time when you worked with a team of product managers and engineers to deliver a growth-focused design. How did you manage feedback from different stakeholders while keeping the user experience intact?”

Leadership & Strategy:

The final round focused on my leadership skills. As a Principal Designer, I was expected to lead design initiatives and contribute to design strategy across multiple teams. I was asked how I approach mentoring junior designers, driving design consistency, and influencing product direction at a strategic level.

• Example Question: “How do you approach defining a design strategy for a product that needs to drive both user growth and brand consistency? How do you align design teams with business and product goals?”

Final Round with Leadership

The final round was with senior leadership, including a Design Director and senior product stakeholders. The conversation was strategic and focused on how I would lead growth initiatives, mentor designers, and ensure the design vision aligned with Microsoft’s broader goals. It was also an opportunity to discuss how I could drive innovation in a competitive and rapidly changing market.

• Example Question: “How do you see the role of design in driving user growth for Microsoft products? How would you influence design strategy to ensure that growth objectives align with broader company goals?”

2. Key Topics Covered in the Interview

The interview focused on the following key areas for a Principal Product Designer | OneMicrosoft Growth role:

Growth-Oriented Design

The primary focus of the role is user growth, so a significant portion of the interview was dedicated to understanding how I design for acquisition, engagement, and retention. I was asked to demonstrate how I make data-driven design decisions and how I balance user needs with business objectives.

Design Leadership

As a Principal Designer, leadership is critical. The interviewers wanted to assess how I lead teams, mentor junior designers, and influence design decisions across multiple product teams. I was asked about my experience in defining design strategy and ensuring that design remains aligned with business goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Collaboration is key at Microsoft, and much of the focus was on how I work with cross-functional teams. I was asked to discuss how I manage relationships with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure that designs are successfully executed.

User-Centered Design

The role requires a strong understanding of user needs, so a significant focus was placed on my ability to conduct user research, iterate on designs based on feedback, and ensure that the design decisions are truly user-centered.

3. Example Interview Questions

Design Process:

• “Design a growth-focused feature for a product in Microsoft’s ecosystem. How would you approach user research, prioritize features, and measure success?”
• “What metrics do you use to evaluate the success of a user engagement feature? How would you iterate on a feature that didn’t meet its goals?”

Behavioral and Leadership:

• “Tell me about a time when you had to influence product decisions without direct authority. How did you manage to align stakeholders with your design vision?”
• “How do you ensure consistency and alignment across multiple product teams working on similar features?”

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• “How do you work with product managers and engineers to ensure the design vision is maintained during implementation?”
• “Can you give an example of a project where you had to balance conflicting priorities between design, engineering, and product teams?”

4. Preparation Tips

Understand Microsoft’s Growth Strategy

Familiarize yourself with Microsoft’s growth objectives, particularly how they are focused on improving user engagement, acquisition, and retention across their product ecosystem. Look into Microsoft 365, Xbox, and other key services.

Design for Growth

Be ready to discuss your approach to designing for user growth. Focus on data-driven design decisions, user engagement, and behavioral psychology.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Practice discussing your experience working with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders, especially in growth-focused projects.