Posted 26 days by Jonny Grange
Hiring the right UX talent can completely reshape your digital product’s performance. But if you’re unsure what to look for, you risk a costly mis-hire or a missed opportunity.
As a specialist UX recruitment agency, we help hiring managers, business leaders, and internal talent teams navigate this space with clarity and confidence.
In this blog, we break down exactly what to focus on, so you can make smart, informed hiring decisions that lead to long-term results.
Why UX hires matter right now
Hiring for UX roles isn’t just about finding someone who can use Figma or Sketch. It’s about choosing someone who can make your product easier to use and more valuable to your customers.
Here's why UX roles matter more than ever.
Digital expectations have changed
Users now expect seamless, intuitive digital experiences by default. Whether it’s a B2B platform or a customer-facing app, poor usability is no longer acceptable. A confusing journey or clunky interface is all it takes to lose engagement.
Hiring experienced UX professionals helps address this. They improve user journeys, spot usability issues early, and help create digital products that meet real needs. This work drives performance across all areas of the business.
Investing in UX is no longer just a design decision. It’s a strategic one. Businesses that understand this are attracting better talent and seeing stronger results.
UX drives measurable business outcomes
Good UX is practical. It solves problems. Whether that’s improving conversion rates, reducing support tickets or helping users complete tasks more easily, the benefits are real.
When you hire talent, you’re bringing in someone who works to remove friction, based on research, testing and iteration. This helps improve outcomes while cutting back on guesswork and rework.
It’s a more thoughtful way of building. Instead of pushing features and hoping for the best, UX professionals bring structure, insight and clarity to product decisions.
The job market is competitive
The demand for UX professionals has grown fast, but the supply of quality candidates is still catching up. The best people are in demand, often interviewing with multiple companies at once.
This means your hiring process needs to be clear, respectful of time, and well organised. If you're too slow to move or not clear about the role, you risk missing out.
Being informed about salary expectations is also key, as candidates expect transparency and offers that reflect current market rates.
Our 2025 UK tech salary guide can help you benchmark roles and stay competitive. Working with a UX recruitment agency can help you cut through the noise and focus on qualified, relevant candidates who are ready to move.
Key skills candidates need
Not every UX professional brings the same experience or strengths. These are the core areas you should be looking at during the hiring process to assess whether someone’s a good fit for your business and your product needs.
A strong understanding of UX principles
A good UX professional isn’t just focused on how things look. They understand usability, accessibility, user research and interaction design. They think in systems, not just screens.
Look for candidates who can explain their decision-making. Ask how they approach things like navigation, error states or onboarding flows. You want to see clear reasoning and user-first thinking.
They don’t need to follow a specific process, but they do need to show how they apply the right tools and principles at the right time.
Research and testing abilities
Good UX design starts with the right question, not just the right answer. That’s where research comes in. Whether it’s surveys, interviews, or reviewing analytics, strong UX professionals are evidence-driven.
They should also be able to test their ideas and know how to interpret the results. Iteration is part of the job. What matters is their ability to improve based on feedback and data.
Ask how they’ve validated past work and what they learned from it. This gives you insight into how they’ll work in your environment.
Strong communication and collaboration
UX sits across multiple departments, so communication is key. Your hire needs to explain design decisions clearly, take on feedback and work closely with development, product and leadership.
Look for candidates who are comfortable presenting, running workshops, and contributing in cross-functional settings. They should know how to bring others into the process without overcomplicating it.
Good communication isn’t about long presentations. It’s about clarity, listening and knowing when to push back.
How to read a UX portfolio
A portfolio gives you more than just examples of what a candidate has created. It shows how they work, what they prioritise, and whether they’ve made a measurable difference in the teams they’ve worked with. Here’s what to watch out for.
Look for clear case studies, not just visuals
A good UX portfolio goes beyond appearance. It should walk you through the problem, the process and the result. Every case study should tell a story.
Ask what the original brief was. What user problems were they trying to solve? What was the candidate’s role in the process? Portfolios that skip this step often hide shallow involvement or a lack of strategy. Remember, you want to see depth of thinking, not just design execution.
Focus on real-world outcomes
Strong candidates will be able to show the impact of their work. This might include reduced churn, improved conversions or clearer navigation. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be grounded in reality.
Ask how success was measured and whether the final product changed after feedback. Look for an openness to learning and iteration. Good UX isn’t about getting it right the first time. It’s about improving things based on evidence.
Clarity matters
If the portfolio is hard to follow, that’s a concern. Clear communication is essential for working in teams and with stakeholders. A messy or unclear case study could signal wider issues.
Look for portfolios that are structured, easy to understand and concise. You should be able to get a clear sense of their approach without having to ask too many follow-up questions.
If it’s clear, thoughtful and user-focused, you’re on the right track.
Hiring the right UX talent makes a real difference to how your product performs and how your users feel. But getting it right starts with knowing what to look for — and how to assess it. Focus on clear portfolios, user-first thinking, communication skills and an approach rooted in research.
It’s not just about filling a vacancy. It’s about finding someone who can bring structure, insight and confidence to your digital product. With demand growing, having a well-defined approach helps you stand out and attract the right people.
If you want help finding UX talent that fits your team and your goals, speak to us at Digital Waffle. As a specialist UX recruitment agency, we help businesses like yours hire with clarity and confidence. Get in touch today and let’s help you recruit UX talent that delivers real results.
