The 30-day Whiteboard UX Challenge

Nine months ago, I lost out an opportunity for a UX Design Internship at a FAANG company right at the final hurdle.

I had prepared everything for my interviews, from presentations, portfolio case studies, my background, etc. However, in retrospective, there is one thing that was missing: using the whiteboard.

I had been so focused on many other aspects of the application process that I did not practice a single UX case through using a whiteboard, and while giving my interviews, it showed.

Now, you might ask, why use a whiteboard when you have Miro? Can’t you do everything inside Miro instead for easier collaboration?

Yes and no. See, comparing a whiteboard to Miro is like comparing between having a drink with your friends at a restaurant vs. having a drink through Zoom. You can enjoy time together and have a nice conversation, but the experience is not the same.

The whiteboard exists as a break from looking at the computer screen, and gets you tackle a problem through a different perspective. This is the reason why so many UX Designers use whiteboards as part of the final round interview process, and why they are still widely used throughout offices worldwide.

Whiteboards used for UX.

Because of this, I’m challenging myself (and perhaps you as well) to take on a 30-day whiteboard challenge.

The goal of this challenge is to tackle one case study per day for 30 days in a row. This will help you prepare and organize your ideas to best show an interviewer what your approach is to product thinking. These challenges are reserved to between 15–30 minutes per day, and can be organized using whichever UX methodology you prefer.

All of these challenges are simply brainstorming sessions, and should not include any high-fidelity design. Again, the objective behind this is to work on synthesizing information quickly and practicing creativity every day.

I’ve listed the 30 case studies I’m tackling bellow, many of which are inspired by “Solving Product Design Interviews” by Artiom Dashinsky. Many of these prompts are created based on common problems we’re facing today.

List of prompts for the 30-day challenge:

1. Design a landing page for a $200 coffee machine.
2. LinkedIn decided to build a marketplace for freelancers. Design a flow for hiring a professional.
3. Build a desktop app dashboard for a general practice doctor.
4. Redesign your city’s public transport system.
5. Design an ATM for kids
6. Design an app to save energy consumption at home
7. Create an easier way to split a bill
8. Improve a kiosk experience at a restaurant
9. Build a self publishing platform for Amazon.
10. Design a product to help companies organize their staff while working remote.
11. Instagram has seen several trends aimed at raising awareness for a good cause. Create an experience to allow for donations inside of Instagram.
12. Design an experience that will help connect people looking for a new pet with the right companion for them.
13. Design a product helping people to relocate to a new country.
14. Design a mobile product experience that appeals to millennials and that makes it safe to find the ideal roommate.
15. Gyms have had to close down due to COVID-19. Design an experience to help people find a gym trainer and stay healthy while at home.
16. Design a restaurant reservations management platform.
17. Create an interface for a self-driving Tesla.
18. Social media can be both beneficial and troubling for our mental health. Design a feature for a social media site to advice users if they’ve been spending too much time on their site.
19. Design a new feature for WhatsApp (or Messenger/iMessage/Telegram).
20. Design a product to help people save money on their day-to-day purchases
21. Design a Black Mirror-type product.
22. Create a service to help reduce the unemployment rate caused by COVID-19 layoffs.
23. Many students will be continuing university through virtual-only classes. Design a service to help them learn more effectively.
24. Design a contact-tracing COVID-19 app for your city. Keep in mind common concerns about data privacy.
25. Design a new tool for the future of e-commerce.
26. Design an easy way to manage your digital footprint.
27. Create a product to help people maximize their time at home.
28. Design a blockchain voting system.
29. Design a dashboard for managing rental properties.
30. Long lines have been cued up at grocery stores in countries highly affected by COVID-19. Find a way of how to solve this.

Please feel free to comment any similar problems you can think of to add to this list.