Mastering the Hiring of Product Designers: insights from a Hiring Manager
The importance of hiring cannot be underestimated, as it allows us to identify, assess and bring the best talent into our teams. Unfortunately, not all companies prioritise designing a smooth and effective candidate experience, especially in specialised fields like QA, UX Research, or Product Design.
Many hiring teams struggle to create processes that are both effective and measurable for assessing talent. While official regulations protect the rights of existing employees, there are no rules enforcing companies to respect the rights of candidates during the hiring process.
However, a well-designed candidate experience reflects a solid company culture that genuinely cares about people.
In this article, we will share our experience of integrating a Whiteboard task into the hiring process, while providing valuable insights and strategies to ensure efficient and effective outcomes for both employers and aspiring Product Designers.
What is the Whiteboard Challenge?
The Whiteboard Challenge is a live session where candidates collaborate with the hiring team to solve a problem or tackle a challenge.
This session can take place in the office or online using tools like Miro or FigJam. Led by a facilitator from the hiring team, the session aims to simulate real-life working scenarios and offers several advantages over other methods of testing a Product Designer’s skills.
Benefits versus a take-home task?
In the past, many companies relied on take-home assessments, where candidates were given a task to complete within a week and then present the results.
However, take-home tests have limitations in measuring a designer’s collaboration and communication skills, which are equally as important as ideation. These tests provide the following challenges for both the designer and the hiring team.
Unlike the take-home assignment, a properly organised and integrated Whiteboard Challenge goes a long way to resolving these obstacles.
When should we use it?
The Whiteboard Challenge is most effective when used in conjunction with other interviewing methods. At Perkbox, we followed this process:
- Initial phone screen with our internal talent team
- Interview with Head of Product Design (myself), to discuss our design culture
- Whiteboard challenge and portfolio review
- Final interview with our Chief Product & Technology Officer and Product Director
By the time you conduct the Whiteboard challenge, you will have already aligned the candidates’ expectations and competencies with those of the position, as well as having established buy-in and rapport having met with the Hiring Manager (Head of Product Design).
This helps to create a welcoming and familiar atmosphere in an otherwise unknown environment for the candidate.
A hiring team of at least three people is necessary for a thorough evaluation. It should include a facilitator and two participants who could be peers, managers, or stakeholders of the candidate’s future projects.
This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive assessment in the decision-making process.
Preparation
To ensure that all candidates are given equal opportunities and support, it is essential to address any specific needs or accommodations they may require.
This can be done by providing comprehensive information about the Whiteboard Challenge and setting clear expectations. Additionally, it is important to give candidates the chance to ask questions and seek clarification.
By being considerate of their individual circumstances, you can create an environment where candidates feel well-informed and prepared for the task ahead.
For some designers who may be unfamiliar with this exercise, it’s important to emphasise that high-fidelity prototypes or mockups are not expected. We want to encourage candidates to approach the challenge in a natural manner, without feeling the pressure of an exam-like situation.
To relieve any concerns or worries that the interviewee may have, we have found that sharing problem statements several hours before the interview can be highly beneficial. This allows candidates to prepare adequately and feel more at ease during the assessment.
Here are a few examples of problem statements we have used in the past:
- Every year, universities welcome new students. Design a solution that helps new graduate students connect and make friends with their classmates.
- Design a solution that assists university professors in memorising the faces of their new graduate students.
To ensure a smooth interview process, avoid tasks that involve previously completed internal projects. This is because the hiring team may have preconceived notions about best practices, which can inadvertently influence their evaluation.
Based on our experience, it is advisable to select challenges that are universally understandable. Instead, you can consider asking candidates to create a design for an app that addresses relatable and intuitive problems faced by large groups of people.
During the interview
Avoid treating the Whiteboard Challenge as an exam with one perfect solution. To get the best results, aim to make the session collaborative and engaging for everyone present. As the facilitator, be mindful of time, ensuring both the team and candidate can manage the session effectively.
For junior designers, try to provide guidance and reassurance, replicating real-life scenarios where beginners often work with more experienced designers.
Measuring the success
Before conducting the Whiteboard Challenge, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the ideal candidate’s qualities and skills. Define the desired attributes, such as a researcher’s mindset or capabilities to design straight away, and document them accordingly. Below is an example of a scorecard used at Perkbox.
For instance, when evaluating a candidate, it’s crucial to understand their ability to comprehend the customer’s unfulfilled needs & pain points. As such, it is advisable to incorporate a task that allows them to explore diverse perspectives and observe their reactions when presented with contrasting viewpoints from the interviewing panel.
After the interview, individually score the candidate’s performance based on your predetermined list of competencies and behaviours. Then come together for an interview wash-up session where you can collaboratively make a decision on the candidate’s suitability for the role whilst limiting the bias through individual evaluations.
Conclusion
The Whiteboard Challenge is a concise, effective, and enjoyable method to assess Product Designers during the hiring process.
It respects the candidate’s time and is far more effective than a take-home assignment. You can also easily combine it with case study presentations.
By organising and facilitating the challenge correctly, companies can gain valuable insights into candidates’ collaboration, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.
