Let's Make Whiteboard Dojo Better Together

Whiteboard Dojo exists because the design community needs better tools for practice, hiring, and learning. It was built from nearly a decade of experience running whiteboard challenges—seeing what works, what doesn't, and how designers can best prepare and perform.

But Whiteboard Dojo is incomplete without the community. The best challenges, the most useful resources, and the strongest vision for this tool come from people like you who use it, think about it, and want to make it better.

How You Can Contribute

Share Your Challenges

Have a whiteboard challenge that's worked well in your interviews? Or a problem you'd like to see turned into a challenge? Share it.

What Makes a Good Challenge?

• Clear and specific problem statement
• Appropriate scope for 15-30 minutes
• Tests core design thinking skills
• Fair across different design backgrounds
• Has been tried with at least 3-5 people

What to Include:

• The challenge brief (what you say to the candidate)
• Difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
• Type (branding, marketing, product-ux, or other)
• Time frame (15, 20, 25, 30 minutes)
• What you're assessing ("I created this to see how candidates approach research and prioritization")
• Any notes on how it's been received ("Candidates often get stuck on X" or "Usually generates interesting conversations about Y")

Share Resources and Tools

Have assessment rubrics, interview guides, or feedback templates that work well? Have templates for tracking candidate performance? Have checklists for preparing team practice sessions?

These practical tools help the whole community conduct better interviews and practice sessions.

Write Articles and Guides

Is there something important about whiteboard challenges that isn't covered in our docs? A topic like:

• Whiteboard challenges in specific design domains (interaction design, service design, design systems)
• How to prepare for challenges with specific types of roles or companies
• How to teach whiteboard challenge skills to junior designers
• How different companies approach whiteboard challenges differently
• Accessibility and inclusion in whiteboard challenges

Write about it. Help the community learn from your perspective and experience.

Share Interview Stories

What was your whiteboard challenge experience like? What did you learn? What would you do differently?

Stories help people feel less alone and more prepared. They reveal the human side of these challenges and often contain practical lessons.

Report Bugs and Suggest Features

Is something broken in the Dojo tool? Did you encounter a challenge that was confusing? Have an idea for a feature that would make practice better?

Let us know. The best products are shaped by people actually using them and telling us what they need.

Types of Contributions

Challenge Submissions

Format: A clear brief (2-3 sentences), category, difficulty level, time estimate, and any helpful context about what it assesses or how it's been received.

Resource Contributions

Templates, checklists, guides, assessment rubrics, interview frameworks. Things that help others run better challenges or practice sessions.

Content and Writing

Articles, guides, stories, videos, or other educational content about whiteboard challenges.

Code and Technical Improvements

If you're a developer, you can help improve the Dojo tool itself. Features you might build:

• Search and filter across challenges
• Timer presets and saved preferences
• Challenge history and progress tracking
• Solution sharing and gallery
• Mobile app

Community Building

Help us grow the community by:

• Sharing Whiteboard Dojo with people you think would benefit
• Answering questions and helping others in community spaces
• Sharing your experience and learnings
• Hosting local meetups or study groups

How to Get Started

Option 1: Directly Contribute

If you have something ready to share:

• Challenges: [email or submission form]
• Articles: [email or submission guidelines]
• Code: GitHub repository
• Feedback or bugs: [issue tracker or form]

Option 2: Start a Conversation

Not sure if your idea is ready? Have a question about contributing? Want feedback before sharing?

• Join the community [Slack/Discord/Forum]
• Post in #contributions or ask in the general chat
• Get feedback and refine before submitting officially

Option 3: Request Something

Is there a challenge type, resource, or article you think the community needs?

• Post a request in the community
• Vote on others' requests
• Help create what's needed

What Happens to Contributions

Review and Vetting

All contributions go through a review process to ensure quality and consistency:

• Does the challenge test what we want to test?
• Is it clear and well-written?
• Does it fit within our standards?
• Are there concerns or improvements to suggest?

Attribution and Recognition

Contributors are credited and recognized:

• Challenge creators are listed on their challenges
• Article authors get a byline
• Contributors are featured in our community highlights

Feedback and Iteration

We don't just accept submissions; we partner with contributors:

• We provide feedback and suggestions for improvement
• We iterate together to make contributions stronger
• We stay in touch as resources evolve

Community Standards

We ask that all contributions reflect these principles:

Quality

Contributions should be thoughtful, well-written, and represent solid thinking about whiteboard challenges.

Inclusivity

Challenges and resources should be accessible to designers from different backgrounds, experience levels, and perspectives.

Fairness

Challenges should be designed to be fair assessments of capability, not gatekeeping or testing for specific experience.

Generosity

We contribute because we believe in making the design community stronger, not for personal gain or recognition.

Respect

We treat each other, and people's different approaches to whiteboard challenges, with respect.

The Bigger Vision

Here's what we're building toward:

A Resource That Grows With the Community

Whiteboard Dojo shouldn't be static. As the design industry evolves, as new types of challenges emerge, as we learn what works—the resource should evolve too. That happens through contributions.

Standardization and Best Practices

Right now, whiteboard challenges vary wildly. Some companies use them fairly, others less so. Some focus on the right skills, others don't. By building shared resources and standards, we raise the quality across the industry.

Reducing Stress and Increasing Fairness

Preparation reduces anxiety. Good resources help people know what to expect, how to practice, and what's being assessed. Better standardization and community sharing make the process fairer.

Building a Stronger Design Community

When designers practice together, learn from each other, and share their knowledge, the whole community gets stronger. This benefits everyone from students just starting out to senior leaders building their organizations.

Thank You

If you're reading this, you care about design, about growth, and about building a stronger community. That's exactly the kind of person we need.

Whether you contribute challenges, resources, feedback, or just use Whiteboard Dojo and tell friends about it—thank you. You're making this better.

Let's build something great together.