The word "seasoned" makes a difference here. Professionals in that category should already possess the requisite credentials: resume, portfolio, references. Combined with an interview, that ought to satisfy any prospective employer/client.

Given all that, I'd only consider a paid test, at which point the client would be better off just assigning some actual work as a kind of trial/probationary period before fully committing.

Partnerships with newer designers might benefit more from a trial system due to comparatively fewer credentials, but either way, perhaps it's worth considering whether as a seasoned professional with a portfolio, etc you would do free work to prove yourself, that might guide whether it's appropriate to expect others to do the same. Cheers.

Senior level, and that's the going rate for contractors in Minneapolis where I do most of my work in the States (lots of competition/talent though); Junior level contractors are about 2/3 that rate.

If this is the newsletter I think it is; I wouldn't mind at all.

I imagine most any design related companies, if contacted directly, would jump at free advertising during your test.

No worries.

This is just my approach and POV. And to be clear, I do not refuse all testing, but also will not perform any skills assessments or testing... For free. Any company or client who doesn't respect me as a professional up front will never be a relationship that gets better with time.

Like I said, if they want to know my skills, they have full access to me (interview), my work (portfolio), and references. If that isn't enough to make an informed decision on their part, they can "hire" me for an hour or two…if they're really serious.

When it comes to evaluating thought processes, etc., I maintain that can be assessed during any of the three steps above, and assume it's a fault of THEIR process if they cannot or will not.

As a senior designer, I generally refuse any tests, mainly because between references, interview, and portfolio, any client should have all they need to make a decision, and if not, my deeper catalog of work over the past twenty years likely can fill any gaps.

Anything beyond that to me looks like a flaw/lack in the client's process, and is a red flag.

However, if the client wishes to invest a few hours' rate to consult with various designers they're interested in, I'm open to that, and it will be a lot cheaper for them in the long run than hiring the wrong person.

all of the images in that article are mockups, with placeholder text.

curious why an app with such stellar numbers doesn't show actual images of the working software?

also..what did it look like before? (adding onto the previous comment,) what were the numbers before for comparison?

I'm a Tokyoflash and Movado man, myself.

A site I administer started getting ridiculous amounts of spam after reaching a certain level of traffic...and not just the spambot type; like sweatshop staff going around signing up just to post stuff.

Wound up developing a multiple layer system to ensure every user was legit, including a human check (answer X question), admin/mod approval of new accounts (including a whois check and comparison to existing user known IPs), and then all new users' first couple posts are quarantined pending mod review.

Maybe overkill for DN, but it had worked for me..Haven't had a single spam post in years.