I'm no fan of whiteboard coding, but besides checking for basic coding ability, the most important aspect of the interview is to see how candidates think. Which

I'm no fan of whiteboard coding, but besides checking for basic coding ability, the most important aspect of the interview is to see how candidates think. Which is why most interviewers will ask you to "think aloud". Also, it is very important to "manage" the process, because the candidate may get stuck and feel frustrated, thus performing worse, or may settle on a sub-optimal solution when they could actually do better. Both these issues can be solved with some interactivity, using hints and probing questions, which cannot be done if you're not in the same room.