10 AR/VR Interview Questions to Find Great Developers

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two emerging technologies revolutionizing our digital experiences. These technologies are changing how we use screens to interact with the world by making everyday activities more fun, informational, and immersive. Both AR and VR are disrupting a wide range of disciplines, including education, entertainment, construction, and job training.

But what makes a great AR or VR developer if you’re trying to hire one for a project?

Asking the right questions is the ideal way to determine an AR or VR professional’s competency. You’ll need to go beyond a portfolio to ensure they’re great learners, have a collaborative spirit, can handle criticism, and can incorporate feedback. Most importantly, you’ll have to ensure they’re aligned with the goals you’re trying to achieve.

This article will take you through the most relevant questions to help you identify qualified talent in both AR and VR technologies. We’ve included common interview questions that apply to both fields, as well as specific questions for each technology.

• The growth of AR and VR
• AR/VR interview questions
• VR interview questions
• AR interview questions

The growing AR/VR job market

The global market size of AR and VR is expected to hit over $250 billion by 2028—roughly nine times the $28 billion market size registered in 2021.

The primary driving force behind this growth is expected to come from the oil and gas and manufacturing industries. The use of VR to train workers, pilots, and technicians will likely accelerate the industry to rapid growth.

In 2022, the global market value for AR was $38.56 billion, a figure forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 40% from 2022 to 2030.

Technological innovations like 5G connectivity are driving up demand for skilled AR and VR professionals at workplaces around the world. Adapting to these technologies will transform organizations and define business outcomes. With this in mind, hiring managers must be able to find the best talent in these two evolving fields.

AR/VR interview questions

Finding the right AR/VR software engineer for your project means looking beyond the basics, such as a candidate’s programming skills or experience with building solutions.

This section will answer relevant questions for candidates interested in a role in either AR or VR. Refer to the following sections for specific questions about either field.

While technical skills are essential, what’s going to be more important is understanding their thought process, problem-solving abilities, creativity, and work attitude. These key questions (also applicable for remote working) will help you delve deeper into a candidate’s profile.

What is your approach to a project?

AR and VR development both present huge creative and technical challenges, so it’s important to have a strong sense of how a developer in either field approaches that challenge.

As an interviewer, you’ll need to accurately assess how a candidate from either field approaches new challenges. Start by briefing the developer about your project and your general business goals in some detail.

Give them some time to devise a plan for how they would approach the project. Give extra points for their ability to think outside the box and apply new technology or information to the project. A strong candidate can predict challenges and explain how they will respond to them.

Tell us about your work process

Both AR and VR demand nimble developers who can respond to shifting customer demands and changing environments. Flexibility in the work process, doing things differently, and adaptability are key indicators of future success.

You’ll want to look for evidence that the developer can apply creative problem-solving processes to their work. The right candidate will likely give ample time to initial exploration and prep work rather than jumping right in and starting to develop. You’ll also need to prioritize attention to detail, thoroughness, and the ability to gather information from multiple sources.

How do you like to collaborate with team members?

Collaboration enables teams to complement strengths, minimize weaknesses, and develop continuously. While most skilled AR/VR developers will bring substantial design and animation skills to the table, chances are they'll be working alongside a larger creative and development team.

Look at whether the candidate has a set process for contributing to the group’s success while simultaneously maximizing their individual contribution. Finally, you’ll need to assess their diligence and communication skills when handing off a project to other team members. You’ll want to ensure they can do it accurately, completely, and on time.‍

Have you ever received unpleasant feedback? If so, what was your response?

A good AR or VR developer should be open to receiving constructive feedback. Part of that includes their ability to take criticism and negative feedback and learn from it.

Look for someone who is receptive to learning and actively solicits and incorporates feedback. The best way to assess that is through examples of past experiences that demonstrate their openness and reaction to feedback and advice. Candidates who put project priorities over their own issues are likely a good fit.

VR interview questions

VR development requires a combination of hard and soft skills, with special emphasis on creativity, visualization, and user experience. VR professionals generally have a combination of skills, such as 3D design, game development, software programming (e.g., Java and HTML), and video production. However, they also need other attributes, including openness to new ideas, experimentation, and current trends.

The following virtual reality questions are designed for an interviewer or recruiter to get a comprehensive understanding of a VR programmer’s skill set.

What interests you about VR development?

Because the potential usages of VR are infinite, a skilled professional in this field needs to have a childlike curiosity about developing new applications for it. They also need to have a high tolerance for failure, the ability to learn on the go, and a willingness to experiment.How would you QA test a VR experience?

This is an open-ended question they’re unlikely to have considered as part of their interview preparation. There is no right or wrong answer. What you should be looking for here is their overall maturity, their level of expertise in the field, and whether they will be a right fit for your specific project.

How would you QA test a VR experience?

Testing VR applications is a vital part of their development that calls for a systematic approach with a strong focus on user experience. The ideal testing process should include a wide range of parameters beyond basic functionality.

Performance measurement in the virtual world requires competence across multiple domains, including familiarity with sensor calibration, angles of perception, and optical fidelity. Use this question to gauge a candidate’s experience with multi-dimensional testing, which includes separate tests for the device, specifications, accessibility, and compatibility. Give extra points to developers who have a holistic view of the product and can anticipate a wide variety of potential user experience scenarios.

How is VR development different from animation or game design?

While all three mediums have certain basic similarities, VR comes with its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. While animation and game design are primarily limited to entertainment, VR has infinite possibilities for usage in areas as diverse as manufacturing, engineering, construction, education, health care, space exploration, forensics, and more.

The sheer range of applications calls for VR developers to be creatively flexible, possess high levels of imagination, and be willing to experiment. An effective VR developer must display a comprehensive understanding of the medium’s unlimited potential.

AR interview questions

Nothing stands out in an augmented reality interview like real-world experience. Ideally, you should be looking for a comprehensive portfolio that gives you a good sense of both who the candidate is and what they can do for you.

Project work that shows familiarity with AR tools and a steady grasp of languages like JavaScript are key indicators of an ideal candidate. You should also prioritize teamwork and communication skills to assess their ability to work in groups and communicate effectively with various stakeholders.

The following questions are essential in every AR job interview.

Walk us through your portfolio. What do you think is your best work?

Going through a candidate’s portfolio is a great way to assess their range in the field and depth of experience. Past projects reveal both their attitude and approach to AR development and their overall tactics for tackling work challenges. The portfolio provides a great indication of the level of creativity and problem-solving they’ll bring to the job.

You’ll also learn more about the kind of software and machine learning they’ve worked on and whether they’ll align with your project environment. Lastly, a portfolio is perfect when helping you decide whether a candidate will be a good fit for the specific project at hand.

How do you make AR additions correspond with the real world in real time?

This is a fundamental question designed to reveal a candidate's depth of knowledge of AR techniques. Essentially, the question has three answers.

The first is visual keypoint matching, which uses a visual marker or trigger to compare the live camera view with a database. The second is spatial mapping, which generally uses a depth sensor to define anchors in the real world and positions virtual content in relation to them. The third method is the use of multiple device sensors like GPS, gyroscope, or accelerometers. Here, the viewer is the anchor around which virtual content is positioned. The objective is not to have a memorized response but to accurately assess a candidate’s level of maturity with AR systems.

Explain how you’d cope with tough or shifting project deadlines

As with any software environment, AR development is subject to deadline pressure and occasionally shifting goalposts. You’ll need to look for AR developers with a collection of skills oriented toward delivering projects on time. These skills include the ability to multitask, effectively cooperate and collaborate with other teams and team members, anticipate potential hurdles, and prioritize tasks.

Because multiple issues could derail the timely completion of projects, AR developers must be able to estimate risks and employ task-management systems effectively. Most of all, they have to be realistic about their approach to tough deadlines and be OK with seeking help when necessary.

Further resources

Once seen as technologies reserved for gaming and animation, AR and VR technologies are rapidly finding eager takers in an ever-widening variety of industries. Their influence has been transformative in fields like space exploration, health care, law enforcement, and logistics.

The list of industries currently employing advanced AR/VR technologies to deliver better products and services is quite exhaustive. Adaptive VR technology lets shoppers try on clothes virtually, and the military uses AR-enabled “computer vision” technology to assist in equipment maintenance and repair. The sheer diversity of usage that these two technologies enable is awe-inspiring. As if that were not enough, AR and VR are going mainstream with the Metaverse and are helping generate renewable energy.

While on the topic of interview questions, AR and VR are rapidly transforming how companies recruit and hire tech professionals. Many organizations are already inviting some prospective candidates to VR spaces instead of interview rooms, or giving virtual office tours.

Immersive interview processes through VR headsets are likely to be more effective than the standard whiteboard test. The interviewer or hiring manager has the option to describe multiple scenarios to test a candidate’s collaborative or problem-solving skills in real time. The candidate is likely to have less interview stress and a lot more physical comfort while logged on to a virtual environment from the convenience of home.

Keep yourself updated with the latest trends in the job market and future prospects in business and workspaces

If you’re considering hiring an AR or a VR developer, you’ll be glad to know we have many candidates on our platform who are ready to help you meet your goals. Sign up with us today!

‍