Customer happiness and delight come from products that are not only practical but also powerful and inclusive in their design.
Well-designed websites do not happen by accident. They are the result of deliberate choices that balance usability, aesthetics, accessibility, and business objectives. Your actual job in a product design discussion is to identify what makes a product not just functional but meaningful and delightful for its users.
The stakes are high. Recruiters ask about well-designed products not to test if you can name popular websites, but to see if you can define what "good design" really means and critique it with insight.
Why recruiters ask about well-designed products
When a recruiter asks, "Name websites you think are well designed," they are probing your ability to define and recognize quality in digital products. The question is a proxy for your product sense, your understanding of user experience, and your capacity to evaluate design beyond surface-level impressions.
The motive behind this question is straightforward: Can you articulate what makes a product useful, usable, and desirable? Can you back that up with examples and frameworks?
If you answer only with brand names, you miss the point. If you answer only with vague praise, you fail to show depth. The ideal response balances concrete examples with structured reasoning.
What good product design accomplishes
Customer happiness and delight are critical to a company's success. It is accomplished by developing products and services that meet all customer requirements. In addition, a successful product or service should have an appealing design and deliver consistent results.
Good product design must be both practical and powerful to create a competitive advantage.
This means:
- The product solves real user problems effectively.
- The design is intuitive and accessible to the target audience.
- The experience delights users and encourages repeated use.
- The product communicates its value clearly without unnecessary complexity.
The trap is to confuse flashy visuals with good design. A product can be beautiful but frustrating to use, or it can be simple but confusing. Your critique must focus on how design serves the user and business goals.
Examples of well-designed websites in practice
Consider YouTube: it has everything one seeks in a video platform — an easy-to-use interface, broad appeal across hobbyists, students, professionals, and even elderly users. Its design balances simplicity and power, making video discovery and consumption straightforward.
Netflix offers a different kind of excellence: an incredible recommendation system tailored to diverse segments, a simple interface that hides complexity, and a design that keeps users engaged and hooked. Netflix’s design uses proven frameworks to evaluate and improve user experience continuously.
Both examples show how design choices reflect deep understanding of user needs and business imperatives.
Dieter Rams’ ten principles of good design
One of the most influential frameworks for evaluating product design comes from Dieter Rams, a legendary industrial designer. His ten principles remain relevant for digital products and websites:
- Innovative: Good design pushes boundaries and introduces new ideas.
- Makes a product useful: The primary function must be clear and fulfilled.
- Aesthetic: Beauty matters because it influences perception and trust.
- Makes a product understandable: Users should intuitively grasp how to use it.
- Unobtrusive: Design should not distract from the product’s purpose.
- Honest: The product should not promise more than it delivers.
- Long-lasting: Avoid trends that quickly become outdated.
- Thorough down to the last detail: Every element matters and is intentional.
- Environmentally friendly: Sustainable design choices where possible.
- Involves as little design as possible: Simplicity is key.
Applying these principles helps you critique websites and products with clarity and authority.
How to apply these principles in product interviews
When asked about well-designed products, start by naming one or two websites you know well, such as YouTube or Netflix. Then explain your choice using Dieter Rams’ principles or another user-centered framework.
For example:
- "Netflix is a great example because it balances aesthetic appeal with an intuitive interface. The recommendation engine personalizes content, making the product useful and engaging. It is honest in its promises and unobtrusive in design, letting users focus on content."
Avoid generic praise like "It’s very popular" or "It looks nice." Instead, focus on how design decisions serve user needs and business goals.
Inclusive design and accessibility as markers of good design
Good design today must include inclusivity and accessibility. This means designing for diverse users — different abilities, languages, devices, and contexts.
Inclusive design is not just a checkbox. It is the foundation for reaching more users and creating equitable experiences.
For instance, Microsoft and Google have published extensive resources on inclusive design practices, emphasizing cognitive inclusion, accessibility tools, and equitable user experiences.
When evaluating a website, ask:
- Does it support users with disabilities (visual, auditory, motor, cognitive)?
- Does it accommodate different languages or cultural contexts?
- Is the experience consistent across devices and network conditions?
Inclusive design is a competitive advantage in India’s diverse market. Products that ignore it risk alienating large user segments.
User experience principles for digital wellbeing
Another dimension of good design is digital wellbeing. Products should respect users’ time and attention, avoid addictive patterns, and promote healthy usage.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing Toolkit outlines key UX principles:
- Provide users with control over notifications and interruptions.
- Design for clarity and simplicity to reduce cognitive load.
- Avoid dark patterns that trick users into unwanted behavior.
- Support graceful exits and breaks from the product.
A well-designed website respects these principles, balancing engagement with user wellbeing.
Real-world critique: A Slack conversation
Field exercise: Critique a website using Rams’ principles
Pick a website you use frequently — it could be Flipkart, Swiggy, Razorpay, or any other.
- List the core user problems it solves.
- Evaluate its design against Dieter Rams’ ten principles.
- Identify one area where the design excels and one area where it could improve.
- Consider inclusivity: how well does it serve users with diverse needs?
- Write a brief paragraph summarizing your critique.
This exercise will build your ability to articulate constructive product design feedback grounded in real frameworks.
Meeting scene: Interviewer probes your design sense
Product management interview, Bangalore startup
Interviewer: “Name a website you think is well designed and explain why.”
You: “I would pick YouTube because it balances usability and engagement effectively. Its interface is simple enough for all ages, and the recommendation system personalizes user experience without overwhelming them. It also supports multiple languages, which is critical in India.”
Interviewer: “Good. Can you apply any design principles to explain your choice?”
You: “Yes, using Dieter Rams’ principles: YouTube’s design is innovative, useful, aesthetic, and honest. It makes the product understandable and unobtrusive, focusing users on content rather than controls. However, there is room for improvement in accessibility features.”
Interviewer: “That’s a solid framework. Thanks.”
Demonstrating structured product design thinking under interview pressure
Judgment exercise
You are interviewing for a PM role at a Series B startup in Mumbai. The interviewer asks you to name a well-designed website and justify your choice. You pick Flipkart and say it has a great interface and lots of features.
The call: How can you improve your answer to demonstrate deeper design understanding and product sense?
Your reasoning:
You are interviewing for a PM role at a Series B startup in Mumbai. The interviewer asks you to name a well-designed website and justify your choice. You pick Flipkart and say it has a great interface and lots of features.
Your task: How can you improve your answer to demonstrate deeper design understanding and product sense?
your reasoning:
Where to go next
- Explore frameworks for product design critique: Product Thinking
- Learn how to conduct user research for design insights: User Research Methods
- Understand accessibility and inclusive design: Inclusive Design Practices
- Practice articulating product critiques in interviews: PM Interviews: Product Design Questions