Best Buy · Primly Community

Best Buy onsite / final round, how it really goes (March 2026, design and cross-functional roles)

sre_sol · 5 replies

I know most posts here are SWE-focused but wanted to add a perspective from someone who went through their onsite for a design/digital experience role. Also talked to a friend who did the SWE final round the same week so I'll include what he shared.

My onsite (senior product designer role):

Four rounds back to back on a Tuesday. All virtual in 2026, no in-person requirement for the role level I was at. Round 1 (45 min): Portfolio review with two designers. They wanted me to pick two projects and walk them through the full problem-to-outcome arc. Not a passive gallery tour. They stopped me frequently and asked 'why this direction over alternatives?' Round 2 (60 min): Design critique. They gave me 3 screenshots of their current app and a task flow. Asked me to critique it live and propose one meaningful change. The point isn't to be harsh, it's to show that you can identify real user friction vs superficial aesthetics. Round 3 (45 min): Behavioral with a cross-functional stakeholder (a PM from their omnichannel team). Questions were collaborative: how do you handle conflicting priorities between design and shipping speed, how do you earn trust from eng partners. Round 4 (30 min): 'Top of house' conversation with a design director. More cultural alignment, where I want to grow, questions about the brand.

My friend's SWE final round: He had a system design, two coding sessions, a behavioral with an EM, and a values chat. Five rounds total. Said the coding sessions were medium-difficulty LeetCode and the system design was the meatiest part. EM round was mostly about how he handles ambiguity and gives technical mentorship to junior teammates.

Both of us heard back within a week. Debrief timeline was not terrible.

Overall vibe: Best Buy's tech and design org takes itself seriously. It's not a cool startup but it's not a bureaucratic slog either. They care about the work being done right.

5 replies

mobile_mara

Five rounds for SWE final is on the higher end but not outrageous. Two coding sessions is interesting. Were they back to back or did he get a break in between?

brand_ben

He said there was a 10-minute break between them. Same interviewer pair for both coding sessions, different problem each time.

returner_ren

The live design critique round sounds stressful. Did your friend mention whether they gave prep material ahead of time or was it cold?

brand_ben

The screenshots were shown live, no prep. Cold critique. That's the actual skill they're testing. If you need 48 hours to form an opinion on a UI you're probably not the person for that kind of role.

sre_sol

Hearing back within a week is shockingly fast compared to my recent loops. Took 3.5 weeks at one place just to tell me they were 'moving forward with other candidates.' Best Buy gets points for that.