The Whiteboard Challenge
How might we design solution that will allow parents to communicate with their preschool children during the day?

Understanding

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview for a company I really wanted to work for. I went through the regular process - recruiter call, a meeting with the hiring manager, then an interview with a designer and PM i’d be working with if I were to receive the role, then..     …the dreaded whiteboard challenge!

Full transparency, this was my first whiteboard challenge, so of course I was nervous, but I had to remind myself that I can only control what I can control. There are so many videos on how to approach this challenge that so many of us fear, but after watching so many, I decided to pivot and reach out to a couple colleagues, asking them if they would give me a prompt so I could get into the right mindset.

Okay so, the morning came and I felt ready, right? I logged into the Zoom call, greeted the interviewers, told them I was ready, and was given my prompt:

“You are exploring your next big startup idea. We want you to design a solution that allows working parents to talk to their kids in preschool”

My initial thought was ‘doh - wait - I’m the business, essentially pitching an idea?!’. Like all the WBC videos I’ve watched, the designer is communicating with a business, discovering their business/user needs and pain points, then ideating on a solution. In this instance, my interviewers were playing the role of parent, principal of a school, and teacher at the school, & I was tasked with coming up with a solution.

Hmmm, I thought. I decided to begin with performing research on the school I’d be designing the solution for.

Research

After receiving the prompt, I started digging into the business side of things by interviewing the Principal about the school’s requirements and needs.

Why is the school looking for a solution?
The school cares about the attendance at the school & would like a solution that will boost enrollment, as well as keep parents and teachers happy.

What are the school’s main goals with this solution:
Keep parents & teachers happy
Boost enrollment (which, in turn, would make more money for the school)

Is there a current solution in place?
No - parents sometimes call or email the school to check on their child

How does the office run at the school?
There is always someone in the office, signing kids in, and there are other employees that could likely help out if needed, time dependent.

Is there a specific budget in place?
No, not at all - there is plenty of money in the budget for a solution

Timeline:
No specific timeline in place

Constraints:
Since this WBC wasn’t running the way i expected, I felt that one of the constraints I needed to call out was the need to see how many developers I would be able to assign this project to. Even though a specific timeline isn’t in place, providing a solution in a timely manner could assist the school in boosting enrollment sooner.  

From this point, I checked in to ask if there was any other information the school Principal would like to provide, and if not, let’s move on to learning about the user(s).

Users

1. The first user I wanted to speak with was the Parent:
With the current solution in place, the parent:
Primarily uses email to contact the school
Response time varies (depending on the time of day; possibly an hour response time)
Would like to know everything (allergies, academics, wants to know (4 year old), would love to know how the child’s progress is going.

Feels:
Out of the loop/impatient, worried.
Contacts the school multiple times throughout the day, not enough updates.
Stay-at-home mother.
Child has allergies

When asked about the parent’s ideal scenario:
She would like to receive enough information so as not to worry. Is the child feeling/doing okay, worried about allergic reaction

Assumptions I made about the parent:
They’re emotionally invested in their child’s experience, education, and development
They’re familiar with technology
They have limited time
They need clear communication
They’re seeking convenience with a solution

1a. I also wanted to address the needs and characteristics of the Preschool Child:
Of course I wasn’t interviewing the child, but for this scenario, I learned that the child has allergies that might need to be addressed in a timely manner, so it’s important that the solution is timely and effortless. As well, I feel preschool children (between 3-5 years old) share the following characteristics:

Curiosity: Preschool children are naturally curious about the world around them and are eager to learn new things.

Creativity: Preschool children often have vivid imaginations and enjoy exploring new ways of expressing themselves through art, music, and play.

Playfulness: Play is a critical part of a preschooler's development, and they enjoy engaging in games and activities with peers and adults.

Emotional Development: Preschool children are learning how to regulate their emotions and express themselves in socially appropriate ways.

Note:
In terms of risk, the Child’s persona is the riskiest because the child could be unpredictable - meaning, if there’s a video chat scheduled, the child might not want to take part. Part of my brain was thinking: Hmmm, further down the line, I’d want to include some kind of gamification experience in this solution to engage the child, so there’s a feature that really resonates with child, one that would get the child excited about seeing and speaking with their parent during the day.

2. Next, I spoke with the Teacher about the current situation, in which I learned:
The teacher is currently contacted by the parent via email
Not enough time to reply to emails throughout the day
Classroom is disrupted when there’s a break to reply to an email
The teacher would prefer a classroom without technology

The teacher’s ideal scenario would be:
A nice solution in which technology would not be inside the classroom

Assumptions I made about the teacher:
They have a busy schedule
They’re familiar with technology
They have limited time
They have a need for organization
They’re seeking convenience with a solution

3. I asked the Principal what his ideal scenario would look like:
If this is a need that will keep the parents happy, then this is great.
Wouldn’t want teachers distracted or overworked - as long as this isn’t happening, then it will be a win for all parties.

After receiving this information, I began ideating on possible solutions.

Ideation

I had 2 ideas, based on the school having a large (unlimited?) budget, as well as taking the Parent’s and Teacher’s needs and feelings into account:

Solution 1:
Each classroom would have an iPad mounted outside its door, with each student roster listed on the ipad. Once a message is received, an audible sound would be heard, and the teacher would then see which student is receiving a message, in which the teacher would then let the student know he/she has received a message from their parent.

Why this solution won’t work:
This solution wouldn’t work because the teacher would have to exit the classroom in order to see which child has received a message. During discovery, the teacher expressed not wanting technology in the classroom. As well, having a sound notify the teacher would be distracting for the children, possibly for other classrooms/students also.

Solution 2:
After asking more questions about the school’s budget, I decided the better solution would be to have a triage of sorts in the school office, where:

All teachers and students in the school would be listed (on screen), and if a student received a message or video request from the parent (via mobile, desktop, tablet), an office worker would then notify the teacher at their earliest convenience. Once received, the student would be escorted to the office to receive the message from the parent, or begin a scheduled, or impromptu video chat on a touch monitor with the parent.

The parent would connect to, and be able to communicate through video via mobile or desktop.

I didn’t have much time left in the challenge (10 minutes), so I began illustrating a few, key screens:

Above, I illustrated a screen that would show the student list for a class, as well as information for each student - a teacher could see what special need(s) a student might have. Within the moment of the challenge, I decided to put a kabob menu along the right, and my thinking behind that choice was that a teacher could access this menu to schedule a call with the child’s parent, or possibly to initiate a message to be sent to the parent.

This is an example of the preschool student’s Detail screen, where more detailed information about the student could be listed, with the ability to begin, or schedule, a call with the student’s parent, or possibly initiate a message to the parent.

Above is an example of the video screen, where the parent and child are communicating via video. The controls at the bottom were added after the fact.

Thoughts & Insights

After time was called for the challenge, the nerves were still there, but I was happy I made it through. The whiteboard challenge is intended to be difficult, I feel, hence why it’s called a challenge.

1. I’ll continue to iterate on this concept to flesh out what the other screens would look like within the triage at the school, as well as what the Parent would see and use on their end, either via mobile, tablet, or desktop.

2. When thinking about the (sometimes dreaded) whiteboard challenge, we have to remember that we can only control what we can control. There’s basically no way to know what prompt you’ll be given, so try not to worry so much leading up to the day of the challenge.

3. Have a framework in place. Or, what I really mean is to keep everything organized while acquiring context about the challenge. There are numerous frameworks out there, but even if you have sections for Business info, the User(s), and a space to Ideate on your solution(s).

4. It’s important to ask for time checks throughout the challenge, as well as to keep your interviewers engaged, whether there is roleplaying involved or not.

5. Breath. No, seriously, remember to breath throughout the challenge. Deep breathing and relaxation activate the the parasympathetic nervous system, which sends a signal to your brain to tell the anxious part that you’re safe and don’t need to use the fight, flight, or freeze response. Deep breathing also gets more oxygen to the brain, enabling us to think clearly.

6. There isn’t necessarily a ‘right’ answer - the interviewer(s) want to know your approach and thought process when it comes to problem solving.