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Clarifying-questions cheat sheet

Use the opening minutes to bound the problem, not to collect every fact. A few high-leverage questions, plus named assumptions, beat a long interrogation.

Problem and desired outcome

Confirm you are solving the same problem the interviewer has in mind.

  • In one sentence, what should be true for the person using this after we ship?
  • Are we improving an existing product, or inventing a new flow?
  • What happens if we do nothing for six months?

Target users

Pick a primary user before you draw. Designing for everyone is a common fail.

  • Who is the primary user I should optimize for in this round?
  • Who else is involved, and should they stay out of scope?
  • Are we designing for new users, returning users, or both?

User needs and pain points

Tie the board to a job they are trying to finish, not a feature request.

  • What job are they trying to finish when they hit this problem?
  • What have they already tried, and why did it fail?
  • What would make them abandon this and go elsewhere?

Usage context

Environment changes the interface: one hand, noise, a desk, a store floor.

  • Where are they when they use this: desk, commute, on a call, in a store?
  • Is this a frequent task or a rare, high-stakes one?
  • Are they interrupted, or can they finish in one sitting?

Business goals

A pretty flow that misses the business job will not pass a product round.

  • What does the business need besides a nicer experience: growth, conversion, retention, or lower support?
  • Is there a metric the team already watches for this area?
  • Are there stakeholders whose needs can conflict with the user, such as ops or sales?

Platform and technical constraints

Platform and data limits change the solution more than most visual choices.

  • Which platform should I design for first: web, iOS, Android, desktop, or in-product?
  • Any systems we have to use, or cannot change, in this round?
  • Should I assume we have this data, or design as if we might not?

Accessibility

Treat access as a requirement, not a polish pass at the end.

  • Which assistive or situational needs should this round treat as first-class?
  • Is this used in bright light, with one hand, without sound, or under time pressure?
  • If you do not have a bar, I will assume WCAG 2.2 AA and say so on the board.

Scope and prioritization

Protect the 30 minutes. Name what you will not design.

  • What is explicitly out of scope for this round?
  • If we can only ship one slice, which journey matters most?
  • Should empty states and errors be on the board, or can those wait?

Success metrics

Close with a way to know the idea worked, not only that it looks complete.

  • How would we know this worked in a week, and in a quarter?
  • What leading signal would we watch besides the north-star metric?
  • What failure would make us roll this back?

Interviewer expectations

Match the room. Some panels want a flow. Others want a debate.

  • How much visual polish do you want versus a clear flow and tradeoffs?
  • Do you want me to think out loud the whole time?
  • If I run short, should I skip extra screens or extra concepts?

Related resources

  1. 30-minute whiteboard challenge framework: A timeboxed structure for a live product design round: clarify, frame the problem, explore options, commit, and leave a clear next step.
  2. 10 realistic practice prompts: Ambiguous, interview-style prompts you can run on your own or in a WiBo session. Built to feel like the real whiteboard, not a portfolio tutorial.

Download the Starter Kit