Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Mobile App Designers

Hiring the right mobile app designer can make or break your project. A great designer doesn’t just create a pretty interface—they shape how users interact with your app. Yet many startups and product teams overlook key considerations when building out their design team. The result? Misalignment, wasted resources, and underwhelming user experiences.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common mistakes companies make when hiring mobile app designers—and how you can avoid them.

1. Prioritizing Aesthetics Over User Experience

It’s easy to get wowed by a flashy portfolio. But good design goes beyond good looks. Your designer should understand user journeys, interaction flow, and accessibility. A pretty app that confuses users won’t hold attention for long.

Tip: Ask candidates to walk you through their design thinking process. How do they balance form and function?

2. Ignoring Platform-Specific Best Practices

Designing for iOS and Android isn’t the same. Each platform has its own design guidelines, navigation behaviors, and user expectations.

Tip: Make sure the designer has experience crafting platform-specific designs—or is willing to learn them thoroughly.

3. Not Reviewing Full Project Case Studies

Portfolios often show polished screens. But what’s more important is understanding how those designs were built. Did the designer contribute to research? Prototyping? Usability testing?

Tip: Ask for complete case studies or project walk-throughs—not just screenshots.

4. Hiring Without a Design Process

Some teams hire without having a clear design process. This leads to vague expectations and mismatched timelines.

Tip: Before hiring, define how you’ll collaborate. Will you use design sprints? Weekly reviews? Shared tools like Figma?

5. Overlooking Communication Skills

Design is collaborative. A great designer should explain decisions, receive feedback gracefully, and align with mobile app developers and product managers.

Tip: Look for designers who listen well and articulate their thoughts clearly during the interview.

6. Forgetting About Scalability

It’s tempting to focus on the MVP. But if your app grows, your design should too. A designer who plans scalable systems—design systems, reusable components, UI libraries—will save you time later.

Tip: Ask how they’ve designed for scale in past projects.

7. Rushing the Hiring Process

Need a designer fast? That urgency can lead to short-term hires that don’t fit long-term vision. A bad hire costs far more than a few extra weeks of search.

Tip: Take time to screen, test, and evaluate cultural fit—not just technical skills.

Final Thoughts

Hiring the right mobile app designer isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about finding someone who sees your vision, understands your users, and builds experiences that last.

Avoiding these common pitfalls will give your project a stronger foundation, help you build better products, and ultimately create a mobile experience your users will love.