What is a UX/UI Designer at University of Utah?

A UX/UI Designer at the University of Utah plays a pivotal role in shaping the digital landscape of one of the nation’s leading research institutions. You are responsible for ensuring that the University's digital touchpoints—ranging from complex student portals and academic research tools to high-traffic marketing sites—are intuitive, accessible, and visually compelling. This role is not just about aesthetics; it is about bridging the gap between sophisticated institutional data and the diverse needs of students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.

Your work will directly impact how thousands of users interact with the University daily. Whether you are modernizing legacy systems or launching new digital initiatives, you will be tasked with solving complex navigation challenges and creating cohesive user journeys. At the University of Utah, a UX/UI Designer must balance the brand's prestigious identity with modern design principles, ensuring that every interface is functional and inclusive for a global audience.

This position is critical because it serves as the connective tissue between technical development teams and institutional stakeholders. You will work in a fast-paced environment where your design decisions influence the accessibility of education and the efficiency of campus operations. Expect to engage in problem spaces that require deep empathy, strategic thinking, and a commitment to the University's mission of excellence in teaching and research.

Common Interview Questions

Expect a mix of experience-based questions and technical checks. The goal is to see how you apply your skills in a practical, institutional context.

Technical and Design Foundations

These questions test your basic knowledge of design assets and the web environment where your work will live.

• What is an SVG, and what are the benefits of using it in web design?
• Can you explain the difference between padding and margin in a CSS box model?
• How do you optimize images for the web to ensure fast loading times?
• What are the most important considerations when designing for mobile-first?
• How do you approach designing a component that needs to be accessible to screen readers?

Portfolio and Process

These questions delve into your history as a designer and how you approach a project from start to finish.

• Walk us through the project in your portfolio that you are most proud of. What was your specific role?
• Describe a time you had to make a design decision based on data or user feedback.
• How do you handle a situation where a developer tells you your design is too difficult to implement?
• What is your process for creating a UI kit or a design system from scratch?
• Tell us about a project that failed or didn't go as planned. What did you learn?

Behavioral and Teamwork

The University values a positive, collaborative culture. These questions assess how you fit into the team.

• How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in UX/UI design?
• Describe a time you had to present your work to a large group of stakeholders.
• How do you manage your time when working on multiple projects with competing deadlines?
• Why do you want to work for the University of Utah specifically?

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for the UX/UI Designer role requires a dual focus on your creative process and your technical literacy. The University of Utah looks for candidates who can not only produce high-fidelity visuals but also articulate the "why" behind their design choices. You should be prepared to demonstrate how you navigate the constraints of a large public institution while maintaining a high bar for user experience.

Role-related Knowledge – Interviewers will assess your mastery of design tools and your understanding of web standards. You should be comfortable discussing how your designs translate to code, specifically regarding responsive layouts and asset optimization. Strength in this area is shown by explaining how your design files are structured for handoff and your familiarity with front-end constraints.

Problem-solving Ability – You will be evaluated on your ability to decompose complex user requirements into logical workflows. The team looks for a structured approach to challenges, from initial research to iterative testing. Demonstrate this by walking through a project where you identified a specific pain point and developed a data-driven or user-backed solution.

Collaboration and Communication – Working within a university involves navigating various departments and stakeholders. Interviewers look for your ability to present designs to non-designers and incorporate feedback without losing the integrity of the user experience. You can demonstrate strength here by sharing examples of how you’ve successfully collaborated with marketing directors or engineering teams.

Accessibility and Inclusivity – As a public institution, accessibility is a non-negotiable priority. You will be evaluated on your knowledge of WCAG standards and how you incorporate inclusive design practices from the start of a project. Be ready to discuss how you ensure your color palettes, typography, and interactive elements are usable for everyone.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process at the University of Utah for a UX/UI Designer is designed to be straightforward yet comprehensive, typically spanning about two weeks from initial contact to final decision. The University values efficiency and clarity, ensuring that candidates have a clear understanding of the team structure and expectations early on. You can expect a mix of portfolio reviews, technical screenings, and collaborative discussions with the teams you will support most closely.

A distinctive feature of this process is the emphasis on a Design Exercise, which allows you to showcase your hands-on skills in a real-world scenario. This exercise is usually given a week for completion, providing you with ample time to demonstrate your research, wireframing, and high-fidelity design capabilities. The University’s philosophy is rooted in collaboration; they want to see how you think, how you handle a brief, and how you present your final solution to a panel of potential peers and supervisors.

The timeline above illustrates the progression from the initial application through the design phase and final team interviews. Candidates should use the week-long design exercise to not only produce a visual solution but to document their rationale, as this will be a primary talking point in the final round. Note that the process is highly collaborative, often involving both marketing directors and the broader design team to ensure a well-rounded fit.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

User-Centered Design Process

The core of your evaluation will center on your ability to apply a rigorous design methodology to institutional problems. The University of Utah values designers who don't jump straight to high-fidelity mockups but instead take the time to understand user needs and business goals. Strong performance involves demonstrating a clear path from discovery to delivery.

Be ready to go over:

• User Research Methods – How you gather insights through interviews, surveys, or usability testing.
• Information Architecture – Organizing complex content hierarchies for large-scale university websites.
• Wireframing and Prototyping – Using low-fidelity sketches to validate concepts before committing to high-fidelity designs.
• Advanced concepts – Journey mapping, persona development, and conducting heuristic evaluations on legacy systems.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk us through a time you had to redesign a complex workflow with multiple user types."
• "How do you prioritize features when you receive conflicting feedback from different department stakeholders?"
• "Describe your process for validating a design before it moves to the development phase."

Technical Execution and Web Standards

Unlike some purely creative roles, the UX/UI Designer at the University of Utah must have a solid grasp of how designs live on the web. You will be asked questions that test your understanding of front-end technologies to ensure your designs are feasible and performant.

Be ready to go over:

• Asset Optimization – Understanding when and how to use SVGs, JPEGs, and PNGs for web performance.
• HTML/CSS Fundamentals – Knowledge of how layouts are constructed and how CSS handles styling and responsiveness.
• Design Systems – How you use and contribute to a shared library of components to maintain institutional consistency.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "What is an SVG, and why would you choose it over a raster image for a specific UI element?"
• "How do you ensure your designs are responsive across various screen sizes and devices?"
• "Can you explain the basic relationship between a UI component and the CSS required to render it?"

Collaborative Design and Stakeholder Management

Design at the University is a team sport. You will be evaluated on your ability to work within a multidisciplinary team that includes marketing directors, project managers, and developers. The interviewers want to see that you are a "culture add" who can contribute to a positive and productive team dynamic.

Be ready to go over:

• Feedback Integration – How you handle critiques from both design peers and non-design stakeholders.
• Design Handoff – Your process for preparing files and documentation so developers can implement your vision accurately.
• Institutional Branding – Balancing creative innovation with the established brand guidelines of the University of Utah.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell us about a time a stakeholder disagreed with your design direction. How did you handle it?"
• "How do you advocate for the user when business requirements seem to conflict with UX best practices?"

Key Responsibilities

In your daily life as a UX/UI Designer at the University of Utah, you will be the primary advocate for the user. Your responsibilities will shift between high-level strategic planning and detailed execution. You will spend a significant portion of your time collaborating with the marketing team and departmental leads to define project scopes and translate them into actionable design tasks.

Your primary deliverables will include user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity interactive prototypes. You won't just be creating static images; you will be building the blueprints for the University's digital future. This involves maintaining and expanding the University's design system to ensure a consistent look and feel across all sub-brands and platforms.

Beyond the screen, you will act as a consultant for various campus entities. You might lead a workshop to help a department understand their users better or conduct accessibility audits on existing digital products. You will also work closely with developers to ensure that the final product matches your design specifications, often participating in QA sessions to catch visual or functional regressions.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

The University of Utah seeks a blend of creative talent and technical pragmatism. A successful candidate will have a portfolio that demonstrates a clear understanding of UI patterns and UX principles applied to real-world problems.

• Technical skills – Proficiency in industry-standard tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch is essential. You must also have a rudimentary understanding of HTML and CSS to ensure design feasibility.
• Experience level – Typically, 2–5 years of experience in a dedicated UX or UI role is expected. Experience working within a large organization or an agency environment is highly valued.
• Soft skills – Exceptional communication skills are a must. You need to be able to tell a story with your designs and persuade stakeholders through logical reasoning.
• Education – A degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Science, or a related field is preferred, though a strong portfolio and relevant experience can often substitute.

Must-have skills:

• Expert-level UI design skills with a focus on typography, color theory, and layout.
• Proven experience in creating and maintaining design systems.
• Deep understanding of WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Nice-to-have skills:

• Experience with JavaScript or front-end frameworks.
• Background in user research or usability testing.
• Experience in higher education or large-scale institutional environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult is the interview process for this role? The difficulty is generally considered average to easy if you have a solid portfolio and basic technical knowledge. The team is more interested in your practical ability to solve problems than in tricking you with abstract puzzles.

Q: How much preparation time should I dedicate to the design exercise? The University typically gives you one week. You should plan to spend several hours researching the problem and at least one full day on the execution and documentation to ensure a polished presentation.

Q: What is the work culture like for designers at the University? The culture is highly collaborative and mission-driven. Designers are respected as subject matter experts, and there is a strong emphasis on work-life balance and professional growth within the institutional framework.

Q: Is there a heavy emphasis on coding? No, you are not expected to be a developer. However, you must understand the basics of HTML and CSS to ensure your designs are realistic and to facilitate smooth handoffs to the engineering team.

Other General Tips

• Show Your "Messy" Work: Don't just show the final, polished UI. Include sketches, wireframes, and failed iterations in your portfolio to show how you arrived at the final solution.
• Focus on Accessibility: Mentioning WCAG standards and inclusive design without being prompted will immediately signal that you understand the requirements of a public institution.
• Understand the Brand: Familiarize yourself with the University of Utah’s existing digital presence and brand guidelines before the interview. This shows you are already thinking about how you would fit in.

• Be a Storyteller: When presenting the design exercise, don't just point at the screen. Explain the user's pain point, the constraints you faced, and why your solution is the best path forward for the University.

The salary data reflects the competitive nature of UI/UX roles within the Salt Lake City market and the public sector. When reviewing these figures, consider the excellent benefits package offered by the University of Utah, which often includes significant tuition reduction and robust retirement plans. Candidates should use this data to anchor their expectations while remaining open to the total compensation package.

Summary & Next Steps

The UX/UI Designer position at the University of Utah is an exceptional opportunity for a designer who wants to make a tangible impact on a large scale. By combining your creative vision with a deep understanding of user needs and technical constraints, you will help shape the digital identity of a premier institution. The process is designed to highlight your strengths in collaboration and problem-solving, providing a platform for you to showcase both your process and your final craft.

To succeed, focus your preparation on the core evaluation areas: user-centered design, technical web literacy, and stakeholder collaboration. Use your portfolio to tell a compelling story of how you solve complex problems, and approach the design exercise as a chance to demonstrate your value as a strategic partner to the University. Focused preparation on these themes will significantly elevate your performance and help you stand out as a top-tier candidate.

For more detailed insights, practice questions, and community experiences, you can explore additional resources on Dataford. You have the skills and the experience—now is the time to translate them into a successful interview performance. Good luck!