{"id":5169,"date":"2021-01-19T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T12:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/uncategorized\/whiteboard-challenge\/"},"modified":"2021-10-25T13:43:25","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T11:43:25","slug":"whiteboard-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/whiteboard-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Acing a UX Whiteboard Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re brand new to the field and getting ready to land that first job, or you\u2019ve got some experience under your belt and want to get ready for the next opportunity\u2014you\u2019ll inevitably come face to face with a whiteboard challenge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Whiteboard challenges are very commonly used in UX design interviews<\/a> as a means of understanding an applicant\u2019s design process and approach to solving problems.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whiteboard challenges can be a source of great angst for many new and aspiring (or even experienced) UX designers. But they don\u2019t have to be!<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s get to the bottom of it: What does a whiteboard challenge actually look like? How can you make sure you\u2019re prepared to ace this part of the interview? We took these questions and more to Eliz\u00e9\u00a0Todd<\/a>\u2014UX product designer and coach (learn more at Eliz\u00e9 Presents<\/a>)\u2014and we\u2019ve got answers!<\/p>\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll unpack what exactly you can expect in a whiteboard challenge, what might surprise you, what mistakes to avoid, and how to successfully prepare for this important part of your UX interview process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What is a UX whiteboard challenge?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. What\u2019s the purpose of a whiteboard challenge?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Obstacles to overcome and mistakes to avoid<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Five secrets to acing your next whiteboard challenge<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Wrapping it all up<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. What is a UX whiteboard challenge?<\/h2>\n

    According to Eliz\u00e9, a whiteboard challenge is a design challenge that you complete in front of an interview team or hiring manager.<\/strong> This is a very common stage in the interview process for UX design roles, so it\u2019s important to understand what elements are at play (and how to prepare for them).<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s the gist of it: Interviewers give the UX designer a design challenge prompt and the candidate goes about defining a solution\u2014in front of an interview team or hiring manager.<\/p>\n

    So, essentially, you follow your UX design process, as best you can, just as you would do on the job\u2014only you do it over a shorter period of time (30-60 minutes, as opposed to days, weeks, or even months in the \u201creal world\u201d) and in front of an interview-minded audience. As much as possible, you externalize your thought process process\u2014share it, make it visible to your interviewers. It\u2019s pretty straightforward, but the content, format, and interactivity all vary from one company and design team to the next.<\/p>\n

    \"Two
    \nPhoto by     Kaleidico<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n

    Anatomy of a whiteboard challenge<\/h3>\n

    We\u2019ll take a look at the purpose of these challenges in the next section, but for now, let\u2019s dive into some of the core elements and variations in whiteboard challenges. First, up lets look at:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • The design challenge prompt<\/li>\n
    • Your interviewers<\/li>\n
    • The context in which the challenge actually takes place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The first element at play is the<\/strong> design challenge prompt<\/strong>. This is also the element that can most easily take you by surprise. It could be a challenge involving a purely hypothetical digital product, a project that the company is actually working on, or a seemingly unrelated analog product (such as a coffee maker, clock, or lamp). Eliz\u00e9 successfully completed a whiteboard challenge for Facebook that involved an analog product that she wasn\u2019t actually at all familiar with! The challenge in a situation like this is to keep your wits about you, ask the right questions, and take it one step at a time.<\/p>\n

      There\u2019s really no such thing as a typical design challenge prompt, but generally speaking, the prompt will ask you to consider a given product and\/or audience and then to solve a given problem. If that makes you feel nervous, don\u2019t worry! You\u2019re not alone. We\u2019ll talk about how to prepare for (and ace) a whiteboard challenge later in this guide\u2014keep reading!<\/p>\n

      The second element would be the interviewer(s) themselves.<\/strong> This will be a person or group of people with knowledge of the company\u2019s (and the team\u2019s) needs, goals, and processes; they\u2019re there to observe your process, but their level of involvement in the design challenge will vary depending on their approach. What might this look like? Here are just three examples:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Your interviewers might just give you the challenge and ask you to go to work on it with your own assumptions (sharing those out loud, of course, as you will do for most of this process).<\/li>\n
      • They might answer your initial (or ongoing) questions\u2014but usually only so far as the answers will give you necessary context in order to continue your process. Bear in mind that the challenge is designed to see, among other things, what kinds of questions you ask and what approach you take to solving problems.<\/li>\n
      • They might offer one or more people to act as your \u201cteam\u201d for the duration of the challenge, particularly if they\u2019re keen to see how you approach collaboration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        And the final element is the context you\u2019ll be working in.<\/strong> We mean this quite literally. Traditionally, the challenge will happen at a company office, in a meeting room\u2014just you, your interviewers, a whiteboard, and some markers (maybe even some sticky notes!). But with the rise of remote work\u2014and more interviews taking place remotely)\u2014you\u2019re likely to encounter some variations.<\/p>\n

        Some companies have been known to actually send a whiteboard to candidates\u2019 homes so that they can complete the challenge on an actual whiteboard, in real-time, on a video call. Others give you the challenge and a time period in which to complete it and share the results with them. Still others might use a combination of video conferencing and an online collaboration tool, such as Miro.<\/p>\n

        It really depends on what the company wants to learn about their candidates, as well as their resources and approach to conducting remote business. The key here is to be familiar with a variety of tools and be ready to show folks just how adaptable you are.<\/p>\n

        To get a quick look at how a whiteboard design challenge works, watch Eliz\u00e9 work through a whiteboard challenge in the video below:<\/p>\n