What is a UX/UI Designer at Akima?

As a UX/UI Designer at Akima, you are stepping into a role that bridges the gap between complex technical requirements and intuitive user experiences. Akima is a massive enterprise that heavily supports federal agencies, military branches, and government contractors. Because of this, the design work you do will directly impact mission-critical systems, federal employee workflows, and public-facing government portals.

This position is critical because government and enterprise software often suffers from legacy bloat and usability issues. Your impact lies in modernizing these interfaces, ensuring strict compliance with federal accessibility standards (like Section 508), and advocating for the end-user in environments where technical constraints are often rigid. You will be tasked with transforming dense, data-heavy processes into streamlined, accessible, and highly functional digital experiences.

Expect a role that requires a delicate balance of strategic influence and hands-on execution. You will frequently interact not just with internal engineering and product teams, but also with contracted agency stakeholders. The complexity of the problem space makes this role incredibly rewarding for designers who thrive on untangling convoluted workflows and delivering accessible solutions at a massive scale.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Akima requires more than just a polished portfolio; it requires demonstrating how you operate within highly regulated, cross-functional environments. You should approach your preparation by aligning your past experiences with the unique demands of enterprise and government contracting.

Role-related knowledge – Interviewers want to see your mastery of standard design tools (like Figma and Adobe Creative Suite) combined with a deep understanding of enterprise UX principles. You can demonstrate strength here by highlighting your experience with design systems, responsive web design, and strict accessibility compliance.

Problem-solving ability – You will be evaluated on how you approach complex, ambiguous challenges. Akima looks for designers who can break down massive amounts of data or multi-step legacy workflows into simple, logical user journeys. Be prepared to walk through your end-to-end design thinking process.

Stakeholder management and communication – Because you will often be interviewing with and working alongside contracted agencies, your ability to articulate design decisions to non-designers is paramount. You must show that you can gracefully handle pushback, negotiate constraints, and build consensus among diverse groups of stakeholders.

Adaptability and resilience – Government contracting environments can move slowly and feature rigid technical limitations. Interviewers look for candidates who remain patient, adaptable, and focused on incremental user improvements rather than those who demand perfect, frictionless agile environments.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a UX/UI Designer at Akima is generally straightforward but involves multiple layers of stakeholders due to the nature of agency contracting. Your journey typically begins with a standard behavioral and background screen with an internal Akima recruiter. This call is primarily to assess your baseline qualifications, clearance eligibility (if applicable), and overall fit for the specific agency contract they are hiring for.

Following the initial screen, the core of the evaluation takes place in a comprehensive panel interview. This panel heavily involves representatives from the contracted agency you will actually be supporting. Because of this dynamic, the panel will focus heavily on how you present your work, how you handle live Q&A about your portfolio, and your ability to communicate with cross-functional agency leaders. Expect the difficulty to be average, but the behavioral scrutiny to be high.

One distinctive aspect of the Akima process is the communication timeline. Because feedback must be routed between the contracted agency, the hiring manager, and the recruiting team, decision timelines can sometimes be delayed. Candidates are expected to be proactive, and final status updates are frequently routed through the internal Workday portal.

The visual timeline above outlines the typical progression from the initial recruiter screen through the agency panel interview and final decision. You should use this to plan your preparation: focus early on your behavioral narrative for the recruiter, and reserve your deep technical and portfolio preparation for the agency panel. Keep in mind that timelines between the panel and the final decision can vary based on agency responsiveness.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed in the Akima interview process, you need to understand exactly what the panel is looking for. Your evaluation will be split between your hard design skills, your understanding of specialized compliance, and your behavioral adaptability.

Portfolio Presentation & Case Studies

Your portfolio is the anchor of your panel interview. The agency stakeholders need to see proof that you can handle complex, data-rich interfaces rather than just consumer-facing marketing sites. They are evaluating your ability to tell a coherent story about a problem, your process, and the final outcome. Strong performance here means clearly articulating the why behind your design decisions, not just showing high-fidelity screens.

Be ready to go over:

• End-to-end process – How you move from initial discovery and user research through wireframing, prototyping, and final handoff.
• Handling complex workflows – Demonstrating how you simplified a convoluted user journey or modernized a legacy system.
• Measuring success – How you validate your designs using user testing, analytics, or stakeholder feedback.
• Advanced concepts (less common) –
  • Integrating UX metrics into agile sprints.
  • Building or scaling enterprise design systems from scratch.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk us through a project where you had to design a solution for a highly technical or specialized user base."
• "Explain a time when your initial design was rejected by stakeholders. How did you pivot?"
• "Show us a complex user flow in your portfolio and explain the reasoning behind the navigation structure you chose."

Accessibility & Federal Standards

Because Akima services government contracts, accessibility is not an afterthought—it is a strict legal requirement. Interviewers will probe your knowledge of inclusive design principles and your practical experience implementing them. A strong candidate speaks fluently about accessibility standards and integrates them seamlessly into their design process from day one.

Be ready to go over:

• Section 508 and WCAG compliance – Understanding the specific requirements for federal digital products.
• Color contrast and typography – Practical application of accessible visual design principles.
• Screen reader compatibility – Designing layouts and semantic structures that work for assistive technologies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you ensure your designs are compliant with WCAG 2.1 or Section 508 standards?"
• "Describe a time you had to advocate for accessibility features when the engineering team was constrained by time."
• "What tools do you use within Figma to test for accessibility before handing off to developers?"

Navigating Agency Dynamics & Constraints

Working as a contractor means you are often an external expert advising an internal agency team. The panel wants to know if you possess the soft skills required to thrive in this environment. They evaluate your emotional intelligence, your patience with bureaucratic processes, and your ability to build trust.

Be ready to go over:

• Stakeholder alignment – Techniques for gathering requirements from non-technical government clients.
• Working within technical limitations – Designing around legacy tech stacks or strict security protocols.
• Cross-functional collaboration – How you hand off designs to developers and ensure quality assurance.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell us about a time you had to design a feature with severe technical limitations. How did you compromise?"
• "How do you handle conflicting feedback from multiple agency stakeholders?"
• "Describe your ideal handoff process to an engineering team."

Key Responsibilities

As a UX/UI Designer at Akima, your day-to-day work revolves around translating complex agency requirements into clear, functional, and visually appealing interfaces. You will spend a significant portion of your time conducting user research, developing user personas, and mapping out intricate user journeys for enterprise-level applications. You are responsible for the full lifecycle of the design process, from low-fidelity wireframes to interactive, high-fidelity prototypes.

Collaboration is a massive part of your daily routine. You will work closely with product managers to define feature scopes and with front-end engineering teams to ensure your designs are implemented accurately. Because you are designing for government contracts, you will frequently review your work against strict accessibility guidelines and present your progress in iterative review cycles with agency stakeholders.

You will also be responsible for maintaining and contributing to design systems. This ensures visual consistency across massive platforms and speeds up the development process. Your role is highly iterative; you will constantly gather feedback from usability testing and stakeholder reviews, refining your interfaces to better serve the end-user while adhering to rigid security and technical constraints.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for the UX/UI Designer position at Akima, you must present a blend of modern design expertise and enterprise-level professionalism. The company looks for designers who are self-sufficient but highly collaborative.

• Must-have skills – Expert-level proficiency in Figma. Deep understanding of user-centered design principles, wireframing, and prototyping. A strong portfolio showcasing complex problem-solving, preferably in B2B, enterprise, or government contexts. Solid understanding of WCAG and Section 508 accessibility standards.
• Experience level – Typically, this role requires 3 to 5+ years of professional UX/UI experience. Candidates with previous experience in government contracting, federal IT, or large-scale enterprise software have a distinct advantage.
• Soft skills – Exceptional verbal and visual communication skills. You must be able to defend your design decisions logically and clearly to stakeholders who may not have a design background. Strong active listening and adaptability are crucial.
• Nice-to-have skills – Basic understanding of HTML/CSS to facilitate better developer handoffs. Experience conducting formal UX research and usability testing. Active or clearable government security clearance (depending on the specific contract).

Common Interview Questions

When reviewing these questions, remember that they are representative of the patterns seen in Akima interviews and agency panels. Your goal is not to memorize answers, but to prepare structured, compelling stories using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that highlight your enterprise design capabilities.

Portfolio & Design Process

These questions test your core competency as a designer and your ability to execute from concept to delivery.

• Walk me through a project in your portfolio that you are most proud of. What was your specific role?
• How do you decide when to use low-fidelity wireframes versus high-fidelity prototypes?
• Tell me about a time you discovered your initial design was failing users. How did you identify the issue and fix it?
• Describe your process for creating and maintaining a design system.
• How do you balance user needs with strict business or agency requirements?

Collaboration & Behavioral

These questions assess how you operate within a team and handle the unique pressures of agency contracting.

• Describe a time when you disagreed with a product manager or engineering lead. How did you resolve it?
• How do you present your designs to stakeholders who have no background in UX?
• Tell me about a time you had to adapt your design due to unexpected technical constraints.
• How do you handle a situation where an agency client keeps changing the project requirements?
• Describe a time you had to work with a difficult stakeholder to achieve a project goal.

Accessibility & Technical Knowledge

These questions verify that your designs can actually be built and legally deployed in a federal environment.

• How do you ensure your designs meet Section 508 compliance?
• What is your process for handing off designs to the development team?
• Can you explain how you design for users who rely on screen readers?
• How do you approach responsive design for a data-heavy enterprise application?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult is the interview process for a UX/UI Designer at Akima? The difficulty is generally considered average. The technical questions are standard for UX/UI roles, but the challenge lies in successfully navigating the panel interview with contracted agency members. Your communication skills will be tested just as much as your design skills.

Q: Will I need a security clearance for this role? Because Akima is a major federal contractor, many roles require either an active clearance or the ability to obtain one (such as a Public Trust or Secret clearance). The recruiter will clarify this during your initial phone screen based on the specific agency contract.

Q: What should I focus on in my portfolio presentation? Focus heavily on process, problem-solving, and enterprise complexity. Agency stakeholders care less about flashy consumer apps and more about how you organized dense information, improved a confusing workflow, and ensured accessibility.

Q: What is the typical timeline from the initial screen to an offer? Timelines can be unpredictable. While you may have your panel interview within a week of your phone screen, feedback from the contracted agency can take time. It is not uncommon to experience delays of a week or more between steps.

Q: What should I do if I don't hear back after my panel interview? Proactively check your internal Workday portal for status updates, as system updates sometimes precede direct communication from the recruiter. If a week has passed, send a polite follow-up email to your recruiting contact.

Other General Tips

• Tailor your narrative to enterprise UX: When answering behavioral questions, lean heavily on examples that involve complex systems, data-heavy dashboards, or B2B environments. Akima needs designers who can handle scale.
• Master the "Why": During the panel interview, expect stakeholders to interrupt and ask why you placed a button somewhere or chose a specific flow. Practice defending your design decisions using data, accessibility standards, or established UX heuristics.

• Prepare for non-technical stakeholders: Remember that the agency panel may include project managers or business analysts who do not speak "design." Practice explaining your portfolio without relying heavily on UX jargon.
• Showcase your adaptability: Government contracting often means working with older technology stacks. Highlight your ability to deliver excellent user experiences even when you cannot use the newest or trendiest development frameworks.

Summary & Next Steps

Interviewing for a UX/UI Designer position at Akima is an excellent opportunity to showcase your ability to design impactful, accessible, and highly functional interfaces for critical enterprise and government systems. By understanding the unique dynamic of working with contracted agencies, you can position yourself as a mature, adaptable, and strategic designer.

The compensation data above provides a baseline for what you can expect in UX/UI roles within the federal contracting space. Use this information to ensure your salary expectations align with the market, keeping in mind that total compensation may vary based on your specific location, clearance level, and years of enterprise experience.

To succeed, focus your preparation on clearly articulating your design process, mastering accessibility standards, and demonstrating exceptional stakeholder communication. Practice walking through your portfolio with confidence, and be ready to explain the logic behind every design decision. For more insights, practice scenarios, and community experiences, continue exploring resources on Dataford. You have the skills and the experience—now it is time to build your narrative and ace the interview.