Title: The User Experience Designer’s Charlatan Test
Context: Good UX is never graded on a curve.
Synopsis: How does one gauge an individual’s UX acumen? Well, you can work side by side with them for long periods of time, see how they perform and react to problems as they arise. You can speak to them about their experiences in the UX profession and have them describe projects they have worked on, explaining their roles and what they have learned along the way. You can physically review their body of work and analyze the design decisions they have made in relation to the information they had at their disposal. Or, most conveniently, you can simply give them this test and definitively quantify the level of UX dishonesty they apply to their professional lives. I kid of course, no single set of questions can ever summarize an individual’s design ethics or core belief system. Yet there are universal truths that need be recognized by anyone with the audacity to call themselves a UX designer and if you don’t abide you’d better have a good explanation or a professional plan B.
Best Bit: “The purpose of this exam is an introspection for the benefit of our profession.”
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