ATC UX/UI Designer interview questions & guide 2026

Preparation for this role requires more than just a polished portfolio; you need to demonstrate how your design process adapts to highly regulated, complex environments. Interviewers at ATC want to see a deliberate, evidence-based approach to problem-solving.

End-to-End Design Execution You must prove your ability to take a concept from abstract requirements to high-fidelity prototypes. Interviewers will evaluate how efficiently you move through low-fidelity wireframing to test concepts before committing to polished designs. You can demonstrate strength here by walking through past projects where your iterative process saved time or uncovered critical usability flaws early.

Accessibility and Inclusive Design Because you are designing a government system, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is non-negotiable. You will be evaluated on your practical knowledge of accessibility standards and how you integrate them into your design workflow. Strong candidates will confidently discuss color contrast, screen reader compatibility, and keyboard navigation as foundational elements, not afterthoughts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration You will be working alongside .NET developers and election subject matter experts. Interviewers will look for your ability to articulate design choices clearly to non-designers. You should be prepared to show how you negotiate design constraints, especially when working with specific technical frameworks or third-party UI libraries.

User-Centric Problem Solving This criterion focuses on your foundation in user research. You will be assessed on how you gather both qualitative and quantitative data to inform your personas, user flows, and journey maps. To stand out, highlight specific instances where user feedback directly pivoted your design strategy to better serve complex user behaviors.

The interview process for the UX/UI Designer position at ATC is designed to evaluate both your technical design capabilities and your cultural fit within a highly collaborative, public-sector-aligned team. You will begin with an initial screening conducted via a Teams meeting. This conversation typically focuses on your high-level experience, your portfolio, and your understanding of the core requirements of the role.

Following the initial screen, you should prepare for follow-up rounds that dive deeper into your technical skills and problem-solving methodologies. These rounds will likely involve presenting a case study from your portfolio, where you must defend your design choices, explain your research methods, and discuss how you handled technical constraints. Expect interviewers to probe your experience with accessibility standards and complex data visualization.

Because this role requires close collaboration with a Madison-based team, expect some or all of the advanced interview stages to be conducted onsite in Madison, WI. The onsite experience is a chance for you to meet the IT Project Manager, IT Director, and key developers. It is as much about evaluating your ability to integrate into their daily workflow as it is about assessing your design prowess.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from the initial Teams screening through the deeper portfolio reviews and the final onsite interviews in Madison. Use this to pace your preparation, ensuring your portfolio presentation is fully refined before the deeper technical rounds. Note that the exact number of follow-up rounds may vary based on team availability and how quickly you demonstrate core competencies.

User Research and Journey Mapping

Understanding the diverse users of WisVote—from municipal clerks to the general public—is the foundation of this role. Interviewers want to see how you translate abstract user needs into actionable design artifacts. Strong performance here means showing a clear, logical link between the data you gathered and the personas or journey maps you created.

Be ready to go over:

• Persona Development: How you segment different user groups with distinct technical proficiencies.
• Journey Mapping: Visualizing the end-to-end experience of complex workflows, such as voter registration or election reporting.
• Data Synthesis: Analyzing qualitative and quantitative research to inform strategic design decisions.
• Advanced concepts: Conducting contextual inquiries with specialized users (e.g., poll workers) to uncover hidden pain points.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through a time when user research completely changed your initial design assumptions."
• "How do you approach creating journey maps for a system with multiple, distinct user types?"
• "Describe your process for gathering qualitative data when you have limited direct access to the end-user."

Interaction Design and Prototyping

Your ability to visualize solutions quickly and iterate based on feedback is critical. You will be evaluated on your proficiency in moving from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes. A strong candidate will explain why they chose a specific interaction pattern, not just how they built it.

Be ready to go over:

• Iterative Wireframing: Using low-fidelity designs to test concepts before investing in high-fidelity assets.
• Prototyping: Creating interactive models to demonstrate user flows to stakeholders and developers.
• UX Writing: Crafting clear, concise, and user-friendly interface text that guides users without confusion.
• Advanced concepts: Designing complex data tables and dashboards that remain readable and responsive.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Show us a low-fidelity wireframe that evolved into a high-fidelity prototype. What changed and why?"
• "How do you ensure your UX writing remains clear and concise when dealing with complex, legal, or technical subject matter?"
• "Describe a situation where a prototype helped resolve a disagreement with a stakeholder or developer."

Accessibility and Compliance (WCAG)

For a statewide government system, accessibility is a legal and ethical mandate. Interviewers will rigorously test your familiarity with WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. Strong performance requires demonstrating that accessibility is integrated into your design process from day one, rather than applied as a final check.

Be ready to go over:

• WCAG 2.1 AA Standards: Specific rules regarding contrast, typography, and focus states.
• Assistive Technologies: Designing for screen readers and keyboard-only navigation.
• Accessibility Testing: How you validate your designs against compliance requirements.
• Advanced concepts: Educating developers or stakeholders on the importance of accessible design choices.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you incorporate WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines into your daily design workflow?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to compromise on a visual design to ensure it met accessibility standards."
• "If a developer tells you an accessible interaction pattern is too difficult to build, how do you handle the conversation?"

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Technical Acumen

You will be designing for a system built on the .NET Core framework. While you are not expected to write backend code, you must understand the constraints and possibilities of the technology stack. Interviewers will look for your ability to collaborate seamlessly with front-end and back-end developers.

Be ready to go over:

• Developer Handoff: Creating clear documentation and specifications for your designs.
• Framework Familiarity: Understanding the basics of HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and ASP.NET Core (Razor).
• Component Libraries: Working with third-party tools like Telerik UI to maintain consistency and speed up development.
• Advanced concepts: Adapting modern JavaScript framework principles (Angular/React) to older or more rigid enterprise environments.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe your ideal handoff process to a front-end development team."
• "Have you ever designed within the constraints of a specific UI component library, like Telerik or Bootstrap? How did you handle limitations?"
• "How do you articulate your design choices to stakeholders who may not have a design background?"

As a UX/UI Designer at ATC, your primary responsibility is driving the user experience for the rebuild of the WisVote system. Day-to-day, you will be deeply involved in creating low-fidelity wireframes to test early concepts, eventually refining them into high-fidelity prototypes. You will spend a significant portion of your time writing clear, concise interface copy that helps local election officials navigate complex administrative tasks without friction.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will work under the supervision of the IT Project Manager and IT Director, serving as the bridge between technical developers and election specialists. When functional requirements are drafted, it will be your job to translate those often-dense legislative or operational needs into intuitive screens. You will also conduct regular accessibility testing to ensure every new feature meets strict WCAG 2.1 AA standards across various devices and assistive technologies.

Beyond design execution, you will be responsible for maintaining the overarching structure and integrity of the system so that it remains familiar to current users while receiving necessary modernizations. Because this project utilizes state and federal funds, you will also be required to strictly comply with the agency’s timekeeping system, ensuring all your tasks are properly accounted for under specific funding guidelines.

To be successful in this role, you must bring a solid foundation in user-centered design, specifically tailored to complex, data-heavy applications. ATC is looking for candidates who can balance creative problem-solving with strict technical and regulatory constraints.

Must-have skills and experience:

• At least 3 years of experience creating low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes.
• At least 3 years of experience writing clear, concise, user-friendly text for interfaces (UX writing).
• At least 3 years of experience conducting user research, gathering data, and analyzing it to inform design decisions.
• At least 3 years of experience creating user personas, user flows, and journey maps.

Nice-to-have skills and experience:

• Proven experience designing with WCAG accessibility guidelines in mind (highly prioritized for this government project).
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to articulate design choices to developers, clients, and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with front-end web technologies (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript) and modern frameworks (Angular, React).
• Experience with ASP.NET Core frameworks (including Razor) and third-party UI component libraries like Telerik UI.

Q: How technical do I need to be for this role? You are not expected to write production code, but you must have a strong conceptual understanding of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Familiarity with ASP.NET Core and component libraries like Telerik UI will give you a significant advantage, as it proves you can design within the constraints of the engineering team's stack.

Q: What is the most critical differentiator for a successful candidate? A deep, practical understanding of WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards is a major differentiator. Because WisVote is a government application, accessibility is mandatory. Candidates who treat inclusive design as a core part of their process rather than an afterthought will stand out.

Q: What is the typical timeline from the initial screen to an offer? The process usually spans 3 to 5 weeks. After the initial Teams meeting, follow-up technical and portfolio rounds are scheduled based on team availability. The final onsite interview in Madison is usually the last step before a decision is made.

Q: Are there remote work options, or is this role strictly onsite? While initial interviews are conducted via Teams, the job posting assumes some or all of the advanced interviews will be onsite in Madison, WI. You should expect a hybrid or fully onsite working model, given the need for close collaboration with the local IT and election specialist teams.

Q: How should I present my portfolio during the interview? Focus on quality over quantity. Select 2 to 3 case studies that highlight complex problem-solving, enterprise or government software design, and strict accessibility compliance. Be prepared to clearly narrate your process from user research and wireframing to final handoff.

• Master the STAR Method for Design: When answering behavioral questions, use Situation, Task, Action, Result. Focus heavily on the "Action" (your specific design decisions) and the "Result" (how it impacted the user or the business).
• Showcase Your UX Writing: Do not gloss over the interface text in your portfolio presentations. Highlight specific examples where your microcopy improved usability or clarified a complex task.

• Prepare for the Government Context: Working on a state election system requires a different mindset than consumer tech. Emphasize your appreciation for security, accuracy, and rigorous documentation over moving fast and breaking things.
• Ask Insightful Questions: Use the end of your interviews to ask about the specific challenges the WisVote team is facing. Inquiring about their current developer handoff process or how they gather feedback from municipal clerks shows deep engagement with the role.

• Understand the Funding Compliance: Be prepared to acknowledge the administrative side of the role. Mentioning your comfort with strict timekeeping and project tracking shows you understand the realities of working on state and federally funded initiatives.

Securing a UX/UI Designer role at ATC is a chance to do highly meaningful work that supports the democratic infrastructure of Wisconsin. You will be tackling complex, data-heavy design challenges that require a meticulous approach to accessibility, user research, and technical collaboration. By focusing your preparation on demonstrating a rigorous, end-to-end design process that respects the constraints of a .NET Core environment, you will position yourself as a highly capable candidate.

As you prepare, heavily review your portfolio to ensure it tells a clear story of user-centric problem solving. Practice articulating your design decisions out loud, specifically focusing on how you integrate WCAG standards and handle developer handoffs. Remember that the interviewers are looking for a collaborative partner who can translate dense legislative requirements into seamless digital experiences.

This compensation data provides a baseline for what you might expect in this role and location. Use it to inform your salary expectations, keeping in mind that your specific offer will depend on your years of experience, your mastery of accessibility standards, and your familiarity with the required technical frameworks.

Approach your interviews with confidence and a clear narrative about your impact as a designer. You have the skills to excel in this process. For further insights, peer experiences, and targeted practice, continue exploring resources on Dataford to refine your strategy and walk into your interviews fully prepared.