UX Interview Whiteboard Challenges is something every UX Designer has to experience at some point in their career. Here are practical steps to moving ahead in your upcoming UX Whiteboard Challenge.

1. Etoniru Chibueze
Elroy
Product Designer

2. navigating a whiteboard
challenge
we would be going through a basic guide to walking through a whiteboard
challenge in a UX interview.

3. what is a whiteboard challenge.
It is a common step in the design interview process.
Y
ou are given a prompt and you are expected to work through how you will
approach the problem.
An interview team or hiring manager would be present.
Phone Screening
Onsite/ Phone
Interview
Portfolio
Presentation
Whiteboard
Challenge
Meeting with
the CEO’s
Offer

4. why whiteboard challenge?
To take you by surprise.
To understand how you would (think through) approach solving problems.
To see how you will collaborate with others.
To see what kinds of questions you ask.
To see how you pace yourself, and manage time.
To see how you are able to reflect on your process.

5. USE A FRAMEWORK
STEP 1: Understand the problem
STEP 2: Define the problem
STEP 3: Generate ideas
STEP 4: Flesh out the solution
STEP 5: Summarize and reflect
solving a whiteboard challenge
context
problem
solution

6. context
Summary of promp
Business objective
User objective
Success metrics
This helps you to understand the context and will shape the rest of your design process.

7. problem
Explorethebusinessproblem
Exploretheuserproblem
Exploretheuserneed
Exploretheusecase
Feelfreetomakeassumptionsatthisstag
Feelfreethesetconstraintstoo.

8. solution
Explore multiple solutions. This can be sketches, how might we’s, user journeys,
wireframes - Whatever feels right for you
Focus on one solution in-dept
Work with the assumptions/constraints you came up with
Summarize and talk through what you did.

9. 5 key ways to prepare for a whiteboard
interview challenge
Have a framework to work with Learn public speaking
Pause and let your brain think Practice a lot
Make mistakes and reflect on them

10. finally...
Don’t work in silence
It’s okay to work with assumptions and set constraints
Don’t waste time designing tiny UI details
It’s okay to see other opportunities you missed out or realised something wasn’t
working as you initially thought. Talk about this
Talk about alternatives or things you would have done if you had more time.
Don’t start crafting the solution right away

11. thank you
Let’s follow each other @elroychibex