Not all design exercises are created equally. A short, very specific assessment for us it's a great way to understand how the designer thinks and helps us guide the subsequent interview.

If the exercise is vague around one topic, we'll ask about it in the interview, giving the candidate the opportunity to fill in the blanks.

Whiteboarding exercises are helpful to an extent, but they forces the designer to tackle the problem in real-time. This induces their brain into beta mode, which is associated with active concentration and processing.

Creativity thrives when the brain is in alpha mode i.e. relaxed and calm. Is when ideas connect.

You need a healthy interaction between alpha and beta modes to pump out your best creative thinking.

A real-time brainstorming exercise during the interview, combined with an exercise they can sleep on, will give you the best results.