The Justification and Ethical Considerations of Design Assignments in Hiring Processes

There is a growing trend in the hiring process of design applicants where companies assign design challenges or tasks as part of the interview process. While many portfolios already showcase the design thinking processes of the candidates, companies still demand additional assignments. This practice often becomes a Fakethons, assignments that are more about idea generation and less about thorough research and usability testing. This article explores the implications and ethical considerations of such practices in the field of UX and design.

Understanding Fakethons

A Fakethons is a type of take-home assignment that lacks proper user research and usability testing, focusing instead on collecting ideas before the designer is hired based on collateral materials. These assignments often benefit the company in terms of obtaining ideas but may not accurately gauge the authenticity of the designer's work. There is a significant risk that the homework could be copied from similar projects available online, leading to a lack of genuine work. Additionally, UX and design projects are collaborative efforts, involving idea generation through stakeholder discussions, user interviews, and design thinking exercises. The expectation that a designer or UX strategist can generate ideas alone through such assignments is unrealistic and harmful to the integrity of the field.

The Harmful Consequences of Misusing Design Assignments

The practice of demanding take-home assignments can be detrimental to the ecosystem of recruitment, hiring, product development, corporate, and startup sectors. By relying heavily on assignment-based assessments, companies may overlook the valuable experience and portfolio that candidates have already demonstrated. Moreover, this trend can erode the systemic, data-driven methodologies that have become the norm in the field of UX and design. Such practices diminish the collective fidelity of the ecosystem and may lead to hiring decisions that do not reflect the candidates' true capabilities and reliability.

Requesting Behavioral User Research Data

To address this issue, it is crucial for designers to request that companies share their behavioral user research data. Designers should be able to understand the data provided by UX researchers and use it to develop designs appropriately. This approach ensures that the design challenges are based on real data and not merely assumptions. If the company genuinely requires design based on random assumptions, they should provide the necessary data in the form of heatmaps, graphs, and charts. This transparency would help filter out fake companies and ensure the integrity of the recruitment process.

Challenging the Ethical Standards of Design Assignments

The demand for lengthy design assignments is not unique to UX and design. Typically, HR also requires candidates to work on short-term projects. Ethical considerations come into play when such practices are used to exploit candidates' time and effort without fair compensation or recognition. Designers and UX professionals should advocate for ethical and data-driven practices in the recruitment process. By emphasizing the importance of user research and data-driven design, designers can ensure that their skills and capabilities are evaluated fairly and accurately.

Addressing the Root of the Issue

As designers, we should tackle the root of the issue by advocating for systematic and data-driven processes. This means moving away from the idea that designers alone can generate ideas and work effectively in isolation. Instead, we should promote collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches that leverage the strengths of designers, UX strategists, and other stakeholders. By doing so, we can ensure that the design process is ethically sound and that the work produced is both authentic and valuable.

Conclusion

The practice of assigning design challenges or tasks as part of the recruitment process should be reconsidered. While these assignments can provide insight into a designer's process, they should not replace the value of a comprehensive portfolio and a thorough assessment of user research and data-driven methodologies. By advocating for ethical and transparent practices, designers can help maintain the integrity of the recruitment and design processes and ensure that the best candidates are chosen based on their true capabilities and contributions.