Remote UX Design Whiteboard Challenge!

Summary

In this whiteboard challenge video, Aliena walks viewers through a mock UX design interview for a dog-walking app. She explains the importance of asking clarifying questions, defining personas, and brainstorming essential features like user and dog profiles, notifications, and request systems. Aliena creates wireframes, designs user flows, and discusses accessibility considerations for busy dog owners. She also explores what changes would occur if the app were integrated into an existing dog-owner community platform. This insightful video provides a hands-on approach to UX design challenges, offering useful tips for aspiring designers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Aliena introduces the video as a whiteboard challenge, a favorite part of design interviews that showcases design, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• 😀 Aliena shares two pieces of advice for preparing for design interviews: download a template to fit your design style and ask plenty of questions.
• 😀 The design challenge presented is to create a dog-walking app, which is relevant for busy pet owners in need of dog-walking services.
• 😀 Aliena engages with the interviewer, Lenny (CEO of Likethebamboo.com), to gather information about the startup, its team, and the target audience for the app.
• 😀 The target user persona is defined as a 50-year-old woman named Kay who is busy and needs assistance with walking her dogs, highlighting the importance of designing for accessibility.
• 😀 Aliena and Lenny brainstorm key features for the app, including profiles for dog owners and walkers, request sending, notifications, and reviews.
• 😀 A user flow for the app is mapped out, including steps like downloading the app, registering, creating profiles, sending requests, and reviewing dog walkers.
• 😀 Aliena sketches wireframes for the app’s key pages, such as the landing page, user registration, dog profile creation, and request submission interface.
• 😀 In a follow-up question, Aliena suggests adjustments to the design if the dog-walking feature were added to an existing pet-owner community website, such as using existing user profiles and chat features.
• 😀 Aliena reflects on the challenge of managing multiple tasks while recording the video and notes that real-world whiteboard exercises would include more interactivity and discussion.
• 😀 The video emphasizes the importance of communication in design interviews and provides insight into the process of problem-solving and creating user-centered design solutions.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the whiteboard challenge in this video?

The main focus of the whiteboard challenge in this video is to showcase design skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills during a design interview.

What is Aliena's first piece of advice for a successful whiteboard challenge?

Aliena’s first piece of advice is to download a template before going into an interview and ensure that the template fits your design habits.

What is Aliena's second piece of advice for handling design interviews?

Her second piece of advice is to ask as many questions as possible during the interview to better understand the context and requirements.

What is the problem the app in the whiteboard challenge is trying to solve?

The app is designed to solve the problem of dog owners who are too busy or unable to walk their dogs regularly, by offering a dog-walking service.

Who is the target user for the dog-walking app?

The target user for the dog-walking app is primarily dog owners in the United States, starting from the Bay Area, aged between 30 to 80 years old, with medium income. These users are often too busy or have health issues that prevent them from walking their dogs.

What are the current solutions for dog walking if users don't have the app?

Currently, many dog owners rely on friends and family to arrange walks through messaging apps. There are other dog-walking apps, but their designs are outdated, and costs are considered too high. Some owners also bring their dogs to pet centers.

Why is creating a persona important in the design process?

Creating a persona helps define who the target users are, which allows the designer to develop a clearer vision of what the app should address and how it should function.

How did Aliena define the persona for the app?

Aliena created a persona named Kay, a 50-year-old woman with two dogs, two kids, and a husband. She works as a magazine writer and needs help walking her dogs because she is often busy.

What are some key features Aliena suggested for the dog-walking app?

Key features suggested include profiles for both owners and dogs, contact information, the ability to send requests to walkers, notifications, reviews, and a user flow that includes adding profiles, selecting walkers, and reviewing their services.

What is the user flow Aliena designed for the app?

The user flow starts with discovering the app, followed by registration, adding user and dog profiles, sending a request to a dog walker, communicating with the walker, and finally reviewing the service.

How would Aliena approach the design if the app were a feature within an existing dog owner's community website?

If the app were a feature within an existing dog owner's community website, Aliena would ensure that the design matches the overall style and functionality of the main website. She would also leverage existing user profiles and integrate any existing chat features. Additionally, she would design for responsive web to accommodate both desktop and mobile users.

What challenges did Aliena face while creating the whiteboard challenge video?

Aliena faced challenges in managing multiple tasks during the video, such as playing two roles, recording herself, and trying to keep up with the script. As a result, the whiteboard content was less extensive than originally planned.