Will's response is quite elegant and right on the mark. Personality tests like the MB or many others often peg people as having a particular disposition and ignore the fact that personality interacts strongly with situational factors. Think about how we may be quite different personas in different situations -- I'm very shy at cocktail parties and avoid them as much as possible but I can be quite theatrical in front of a good audience -- two quite different behaviors in social situations. If you dig into the MB or read reviews by serious academics, you will find that it has questionable validation. In the early 1970s, there was a major debate in the social psychology field over the predictability of personality tests (you take the test and then correlate some type of performance with the score) and the amout of variance attributed to personality was very low (say in the range of 5-17% of behavior could be attributed to personality). There is some interaction of personality with context as my earlier example pointed out and there is some predictability with some personality tests, but not all that much. The debate of personality versus situation was between Daryl Bem and Walter Mischel (two brilliant fellows in personality and social psychology).
So, given the low correlation between performance and personality scores, I would consider them dangerous (and the labels they put on people something to avoid). I've been in several workshops where these types of tests are given and the group as a whole latches on to the scores and descriptions of the "personality" and even with moderators who caution not to take the scores too seriously, the next 3 hours are a discussion of the scores and how they are strong predictors of job performance when in fact, they are not. I was the "victim" once of a company that wanted to use an MB-like test to support decisions about management and promotion. Most senior managers balked and the company withdrew the test as a basic for promotion. I was ready to quit if forced to take the test. Chauncey On Jan 25, 2008 5:51 AM, W Evans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'll weigh in, although my answers are obviously highly subjective. When > evaluating candidates and building a team I would rather boil in a vat of > hot molten lead than use a standardized test to inform anything, including > who is fit to make coffee. Actually - more strongly - I think standardized > tests are dangerous and serve only two purposes - to evaluate a candidates > ability to take the test and score in some manner that I have a prejudice in > thinking is the right personality matrix based on my own personality type; > and to enrich and further the memetic influence of test makers and > promoters. Myers Briggs is absolutely useless because it does not answer or > provide insight into the key metrics I need in evaluating an IxD/IA/UX > candidate which are: > 1. Can the person design great experiences -- does knowing they are INTJ > inform that? No. > 2. Can the person defend their designs when faced with opposition? > 3. Can the person take criticism? > 4. Can the person collaborate in the design process? > 5. Deliver on a deadline? > 6. Show up to work? > > Besides the tests being highly subjective - they measure all the wrong > things, and do not provide me as a hiring manager with any information that > better informs my decision. > > Two interaction designers board trains. One leaves Chicago at 4pm traveling > at 60mph, the other interaction designer (wearing black Dr. Martins) leaves > Boston at 330pm traveling at 72 mph - both headed towards each other. 3 > hours later, the interaction designer on which train has created a more > compelling user registration process? > > I have used many techniques for interviewing, evaluating, training and > mentoring folks in our field - and I would say that standardized tests are > the most onerous - nay - dangerous. > > I found this list of questions and have used variations of this in the > interview process - I have added/modified it over recent years. This only > covers general knowledge, etc - and doesn't tell me how the person will > design or interact with a group - but at least it's far better than some > Myers Briggs test: > > Fundamental IA/UX/UI Knowledge Interview Questions. > > 1. What two or three interaction design, information architecture or > user experience design books would you recommend to your colleagues? Which > has contributed the most to your understanding of our profession? > 2. How do you keep your knowledge of user experience design and > usability up to date? > 3. How do you define when a website or application is "usable enough"? > 4. Can you explain what heuristic evaluation is and what some of its > strengths and weaknesses are? > 5. What are some general guidelines for making web applications > accessible to users with visual, hearing, or motor disabilities? > 6. What courses or seminars have you taken on usability or user > interface design? > 7. Can you give a few examples of cognitive principles that should > influence software design? > 8. What are some of the differences in designing for the thin clients > versus designing for print or a Windows or Macintosh thick client > application? > 9. What are some UI design principles that you would try to follow > when designing web pages ? > 10. How do you decide what tasks should be included in a usability > test? > 11. How would you conduct a competitive analysis of two applications > or websites? > 12. Describe how the user's physical environment can have an impact on > the design of a website. > 13. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of contextual > inquiry or field studies for the design of a website or application? > > Experience in an IA/UX designer role > > 1. What are some of the ethical issues that can arise in a usability > or user interface design position? Have you experienced any of these > personally? What did you do to resolve/deal with these issues? > 2. What usability methods are you most experienced with? > 3. Are you familiar with any information architecture methodologies? > Which ones? > 4. What usability/UI design methods would you like to know more about > or are least experienced with? > 5. Have you taught any courses or seminars in usability or user > interface design? What topics did you cover in the course? > 6. Have you ever been involved in determining user requirements for a > web application or desktop application? What methods did you use to > determine these requirements and what was your involvement in the process? > 7. Describe how you have marketed or evangelized user centered design > or user experience design in your current position? How would you market it > if you were the first usability or user experience design professional in a > company? > 8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a style guide? > If you have worked on a style guide, describe your method for developing it. > 9. How have you addressed issues of user interface consistency across > products in your current position? > 10. In your current role, what percentage of time do you spend in > evaluation versus design? > 11. What have/can you do to make usability testing in a lab > environment as realistic as possible? > 12. How much experience do you have recruiting external customers for > evaluation or design activities? Have you done group or individual user > focus sessions? > 13. What steps have you taken to convince a recalcitrant developer to > listen to your advice? > 14. How would you explain the benefits of a user-centered design > approach to a project manager or program manager who is unfamiliar with it? > > > > -- > ~ will > > "Where you innovate, how you innovate, > and what you innovate are design problems" > ------------------------------------------------------- > will evans > user experience architect > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ------------------------------------------------------- > > > On Jan 25, 2008 12:22 AM, Anthony Colfelt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi all, > > > > I'm drafting the second part of an article on Hiring UX professionals > > for Boxes and Arrows at the moment and researching people's thoughts > > on the all important axis of personality when hiring UX folk. > > > > Can you tell me whether you think that personality typing tests like > > Myers Briggs or DISC are helpful to you in either hiring or working > > with others in your discipline? > > > > When thinking about the individual streams of Research, Information > > Architecture, Interaction Design, Graphic Design and Writing, do you > > reckon each of these should display any particular personality > > attributes as you might find in typing tests like Myers Briggs? > > > > The obvious answer is "Well, that depends on your context". But I > > thought it would make an interesting discussion point here and then > > summarized in the article. What are your thoughts? > > > > Anthony Colfelt > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* > > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA > > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > > > ________________________________________________________________ > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
