How top companies hire UI/UX designers in India - a practical guide

Hiring UI/UX designers in India is very different from hiring engineers. It’s more creative, more subjective, and harder to assess with just resumes. The best startups know this - and use a very practical system to find and hire strong product designers.

Here’s a detailed guide based on how top Indian product companies do it:

1. Where to find good designers

Top companies don’t wait for inbound - they actively hunt in creative communities:

• LinkedIn: Filter by product companies, portfolios linked in bios
• Dribbble and Behance: Look for designers who ship real app/web projects (not just flashy UI)
• Twitter and Instagram: Many designers post projects, Figma files, and design threads here
• Figma Community: Open-source creators often work at or freelance for great teams
• Slack/Discord groups: Check DesignX, Blr Design, UX India circles
• Referrals: Internal design team networks often lead to high-trust intros
• Design colleges: NID, Srishti, MIT ID, plus self-taught designers from non-traditional backgrounds

2. Portfolio-first screening

Unlike tech, resumes aren’t that useful. Top teams go straight to the portfolio:

• Check for real product thinking, not just pretty UIs
• Look at how they explain decisions, user flows, constraints
• Prefer designers who show mobile + web + end-to-end flows
• Bonus: those who collaborate with devs, or share case studies

Red flag: Too many visuals with no context or reasoning

3. Interview process: Show, don’t tell

Top companies avoid theoretical UX interviews. Instead:

• Portfolio walkthrough: Ask them to explain 1–2 real projects
• Design task (if needed): A small app flow, feedback loop, or live whiteboard
• Team call: Quick chat with a dev or PM to test collaboration
• Founder/founder-designer call: Sell the vision and get buy-in

Keep this whole loop under 10 days or risk losing them to other offers.

4. Sell your culture, not just salary

Good designers want ownership, clarity, and the ability to influence product. Top companies:

• Share how design decisions are made
• Show who they'll work with - not just say “collaborate with devs”
• Talk about your design maturity (tools, feedback process, timelines)
• Offer creative freedom, not micromanagement

5. Action plan to hire in 2–3 weeks

Here’s a simple, repeatable process:

• Week 1: Shortlist from LinkedIn, Behance, referrals - reach out with a warm, founder-written note
• Week 2: Do portfolio call, 1 team round, and optional async task
• Week 3: Final founder call and offer. Follow up actively to close
• Keep a Notion tracker with tags for warm leads, interviewed, and potential future hires

Design hiring doesn’t need to be slow or confusing. Nirnay.io helps you shortlist and manage applications from multiple channels, rank candidates smartly, and focus your time only on serious fits - so you hire great designers faster.