Cruise Product Designer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 7 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Cruise.
Cruise
Product Designer Intern
Intern Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Presentation Onsite
Interview formats
Presentation Behavioral Technical
It was a 3 round interview process. The first round was a phone call. The second round involved a 30-minute presentation. The final round was a 1.5-hour session with the design manager, which included a 45-minute presentation followed by Q&A and a 1:1 chat.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you share an instance where you collaborated with a challenging teammate?
Cruise
Product Designer
Mid Average Neutral experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Presentation Background check
Interview formats
Behavioral Presentation
This was a pretty standard design interview process, reminded me a lot of Facebook's. Seems like they have a lot of ex-Facebook folks working there. A recruiter reached out and I had a quick screen call with them within a few days. They basically just told me what the team needed and who was on it, and I talked a bit about myself. Got word back in about a day and then moved on to Round 1, which was a 45-minute video call where I had to present 1-2 projects using screen sharing. The recruiter was super helpful and sent over a bunch of info beforehand. I got a little misled by the recruiter though. They emailed saying to keep the process talk to under 5 minutes, and they'd ask if they needed more detail. This threw me off because interaction design is all about the process. I checked with a designer friend and they said their team's hiring process is shifting to be more results-focused, less process-focused. So, I focused mostly on the final work and the reasons behind my decisions. Turns out, this was the wrong move. One of the interviewers mumbled 'well that's the most important part' when I mentioned skipping the process to get to the final product. Since it was a keynote presentation, it was hard to go back and show the detailed process. I think there might be a gap between what the recruiters think the design team wants and what they actually want. It's possible the recruiters just screen for UX designers who overdo the process part or have weak visuals, so maybe trust your gut. I didn't pass this round (got feedback via email the next day), but it was really useful for prepping for future interviews.
Confirmed questions8 questions
- Can you tell me why you are interested in Cruise?
- Could you describe your specific role in this project?
- Who were your collaborators on this project, and how did you split the responsibilities?
Cruise
Product Designer
Senior Average Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite Presentation
Interview formats
Behavioral Presentation Other
So I got referred to Cruise by a former colleague. First, I had a 30-min chat with a recruiter. Then, the following week, I did a 60-min video call with a Senior Designer. The final step was a 3.5-hour onsite where I did a 1-hour portfolio presentation with Q&A, had some 1:1s, and did a whiteboarding exercise. The whole thing took about 3 weeks.
Confirmed questions6 questions
- Can you tell me about your previous work experiences?
- Could you explain your approach to design?
- Please discuss the projects featured in your portfolio.
Cruise Product Designer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Cruise interview reports.
“What made that particular problem the most difficult to solve?”
Read reports →“What specifically attracted you to Cruise?”
Read reports →“Did you design the hardware for the product in your presentation?”
Read reports →“What would be your approach to designing this product if it needed to accommodate a larger scale or a different user group?”
Read reports →“Who were your collaborators on this project, and how did you split the responsibilities?”
Read report →“How did you measure the success or impact of this project?”
Read report →“Can you tell me why you are interested in Cruise?”
Read report →“What were the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen approach?”
Read report →“What was the most challenging aspect of this project?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 7 Cruise interview reports.