1. What is a UX/UI Designer at Ramp?

At Ramp, the role of a UX/UI Designer (often titled internally as Product Designer) is central to the company’s mission of saving businesses time and money. You are not just designing interfaces; you are rethinking how modern finance teams function, particularly in the emerging age of AI. Ramp views design as a core differentiator, meaning this role offers a "ground floor" opportunity to influence product strategy and user experience at a fundamental level.

You will lead design for significant portions of the core product, ranging from spend management and procurement to automated bookkeeping. The environment is hyper-collaborative and moves with exceptional speed. You are expected to own projects from prioritization through launch, working directly with engineering and product leads to transform complex financial workflows into simple, delightful experiences. This is a role for a designer who loves to "sweat the details" while simultaneously driving high-level product vision.

2. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

The interview process at Ramp is rigorous and designed to identify candidates who can balance high-fidelity visual craft with deep product thinking. You should prepare to demonstrate not just how you design, but why your design decisions drive business value.

Product Thinking & Business Strategy – Ramp looks for designers who understand the "why" behind the work. You will be evaluated on your ability to break down ambiguous problems (like "eliminate busywork for finance teams") and prioritize high-impact solutions. You must show that you can align your design choices with company strategy.

Visual & Interaction Craft – The bar for visual design is extremely high. You must demonstrate extraordinary skills in typography, layout, and interaction design. Interviewers will expect to see high-fidelity prototypes and a portfolio that showcases polished, end-to-end work, not just wireframes.

Execution & Velocity – Ramp is known for shipping software every day. You need to demonstrate that you can move fast without sacrificing quality. Be ready to discuss how you make decisions quickly, how you handle trade-offs, and how you iterate based on user feedback and data.

Collaboration & Communication – You will work in a cross-functional team. Evaluation will focus on your ability to articulate your design rationale to engineers and product managers. You should be "opinionated" yet "low ego," capable of advocating for the user while collaborating to get things built.

3. Interview Process Overview

The interview process at Ramp is generally fast-paced, often concluding within 3 to 4 weeks. It typically begins with a recruiter screen, followed by a behavioral interview with a hiring manager or design director. If you pass these initial checks, you will move to a more intensive loop that includes a portfolio presentation and a specific design exercise.

Candidates have described the process as efficient, though occasionally vague regarding specific next steps, so proactive communication is key. The atmosphere is generally transparent, but the expectations are high. You will likely face a "Business/Product Thinking" exercise rather than a standard app critique. This session is designed to see how you approach open-ended problems in real-time.

This timeline illustrates the typical flow from your first contact to the final decision. Note that the "Design Challenge" and "Portfolio Presentation" often happen back-to-back or within a short timeframe during the onsite stage. Use this visual to plan your preparation, ensuring you have your case studies polished before the initial screen.

4. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Ramp’s evaluation process is designed to test your versatility as a full-stack designer. You must be equally comfortable discussing high-level strategy and pixel-perfect UI details.

Portfolio Walkthrough

This is often the most critical part of the loop. You will present 1–2 deep-dive case studies to a panel of designers.

• Why it matters: This session proves your ability to execute end-to-end.
• What strong performance looks like: You clearly articulate the problem, the business context, your specific role, and the outcome. You show the "messy middle"—the iterations, the failed concepts, and the data that led to the final solution.

Be ready to go over:

• Problem Definition: How you identified the right problem to solve using data or user research.
• Collaboration: How you worked with PMs and Engineers to handle constraints.
• Final Polish: Showing high-fidelity visuals and prototypes.
• Outcomes: Real metrics on how your design impacted the business (e.g., "saved X hours," "increased conversion by Y%").

Design Challenge (Whiteboarding)

Unlike many companies that ask for an app critique, Ramp frequently utilizes a "Product Thinking" or "Business Thinking" exercise.

• Why it matters: It tests your ability to think on your feet and solve ambiguous problems relevant to Ramp’s domain.
• How it is evaluated: Structure is key. Do you jump straight to solutions, or do you ask clarifying questions first?
• What strong performance looks like: You treat the interviewer as a partner. You define the user and the goal, sketch out flows, and justify your decisions based on business logic.

Example scenarios:

• "Design a feature to help finance teams categorize expenses automatically."
• "How would you improve the approval workflow for a manager with 50 direct reports?"
• "Rethink the vendor onboarding process to reduce fraud."

Behavioral & Culture Fit

Ramp values "kind, curious, and generous" team members who are also "ruthless" prioritizers.

• Why it matters: The team is small and collaborative; one toxic or slow-moving person can hinder progress.
• How it is evaluated: Through questions about past conflicts, mistakes, and your working style.
• What strong performance looks like: You own your mistakes. You show a genuine desire to learn. You demonstrate that you are motivated by impact, not just by making things look good.

5. Key Responsibilities

As a UX/UI Designer at Ramp, your daily work will blend strategic planning with hands-on execution. You will not simply be handed requirements; you are expected to work with Product and Engineering leads to transform company strategy into prioritized roadmap initiatives. This involves identifying the right problems to solve and aligning the cross-functional team around them.

You will be responsible for the end-to-end design process. This means exploring initial solutions, creating low-fidelity prototypes to test concepts, and refining them into high-fidelity, production-ready interfaces. You will leverage a direct line to customers to gather insights and identify friction points. Furthermore, you will contribute to the evolution of Ramp’s design system and brand guidelines, helping to maintain consistency as the product scales.

6. Role Requirements & Qualifications

Ramp hires for a specific profile: highly experienced, autonomous, and capable of spanning the gap between UX and UI.

Must-Have Skills

• Experience: Typically 5+ years for Senior roles and 10+ years for Principal roles. Experience in high-growth startups or top-tier digital agencies is preferred.
• Hybrid Capability: Demonstrated experience with end-to-end product design. You must be strong in both UX principles (flows, logic, research) and UI execution (visuals, typography, motion).
• Prototyping: Proficiency in creating both low and high-fidelity prototypes (Figma is standard).
• Shipping Record: A history of working with developers to ship software. You need to know how to get designs built.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Technical Fluency: A strong understanding of software engineering workflows (frontend principles) is highly encouraged.
• Mentorship: Experience mentoring other designers or building internship programs.
• Domain Knowledge: Previous experience in fintech, B2B SaaS, or complex enterprise tools.

7. Common Interview Questions

The following questions are drawn from candidate experiences and the core competencies required for the role. Expect a mix of behavioral inquiries and specific questions probing your design process.

Behavioral & Collaboration

• Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with an engineer or product manager. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a situation where you had to make a design decision with incomplete data.
• How do you handle feedback that contradicts your design intuition?
• Give an example of a project that didn't go as planned. What did you learn?
• Why do you want to work at Ramp specifically, and why now?

Process & Craft

• Walk us through your design process for a recent complex feature.
• How do you decide when a design is "done" and ready to ship?
• How do you balance speed of execution with design quality?
• How have you used AI or automation in your workflow or products previously?
• Describe a time you advocated for a user need that the business initially deprioritized.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this role remote or in-person? Most design roles at Ramp, particularly at the Senior and Principal levels, have an in-office requirement. The job postings explicitly state a need to work in-person at the NYC headquarters (typically near Madison Square Park) at least 2–3 days a week.

Q: What is the "Design Challenge" like? Candidates report that the challenge is often a "business/product thinking" exercise rather than a take-home assignment or a visual critique. Expect a whiteboarding-style session where you solve a problem live with an interviewer. It focuses on how you think, prioritize, and structure a solution.

Q: How technical do I need to be? While you don't need to write code, "understanding software engineering workflows" is listed as a nice-to-have. You should be comfortable speaking the language of developers, understanding technical constraints, and designing feasible solutions.

Q: How long does the process take? Ramp is known for moving fast. The entire process can take as little as 4 weeks. However, candidates have occasionally reported communication gaps, so be prepared for a fast pace that requires you to stay on top of scheduling.

9. Other General Tips

Focus on "Shipping" not just "Designing" Ramp prides itself on velocity. When discussing your past work, emphasize the impact of what you shipped. Don't just show concept work that never saw the light of day. Talk about how you unblocked engineers or made compromises to get a feature into users' hands quickly.

Understand the Business Model Ramp is a financial operations platform. Before your interview, research how Ramp makes money and what their core value propositions are (saving time, saving money, automation). Frame your design answers in terms of these business goals.

Highlight AI Interest With Ramp's recent push into "rethinking finance in the age of AI," showing an interest in or experience with AI-driven interfaces (even if it's just conceptual) can be a strong differentiator.

10. Summary & Next Steps

The UX/UI Designer role at Ramp is a high-impact position suitable for designers who crave ownership and speed. You will be working on complex financial problems that require rigorous logic and exceptional visual craft. If you are a "full-stack" designer who enjoys working closely with engineers to ship product every day, this environment is built for you.

To succeed, focus your preparation on your portfolio storytelling—ensure your case studies highlight business impact and collaboration. Practice your whiteboarding skills with a focus on product strategy, not just UI layout. Be ready to show your passion for eliminating busywork and building tools that empower businesses.

The compensation for this role is highly competitive, reflecting the high expectations for experience and autonomy. When negotiating or discussing salary, consider the total package, including equity, which is a significant component of compensation at a high-growth company like Ramp.

Good luck with your preparation. This is a demanding process, but the opportunity to define the future of financial software is well worth the effort.