As designers, we're always looking for ways to improve our knowledge and skills. But measuring progress can be tricky. It can be difficult to capture your entire skill set within a portfolio, and traditional assessments are often just that - tests, rather than tools for continuous learning and improvement. That's why we created Pulse – a game-changing approach to design skill assessment.

The Pulse Advantage

We designed Pulse with one goal in mind: to give designers a simple, user-friendly way to build a holistic picture of their skill set. To do so, we had to re-think how assessments in design should work. Here are a few of the key ways that Pulse differs from traditional design tests.

By Designers, for Designers

Pulse uses Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) to adjust question difficulty based on your performance, ensuring you're always challenged, but not overwhelmed. Before starting your first Pulse assessment, you'll be prompted to select a role, such as UX designer, UI specialist, or product designer. The questions will focus on your chosen specialty but also include some questions related to adjacent skills. If you don't feel confident about the right answer to any question, you can select 'I don't know,' allowing you to be honest about knowledge gaps and discourage guessing. This fosters a growth mindset and helps pinpoint areas for future learning.

Less is more (often)

We all remember the anxiety of entering the exam hall as students, knowing that everything you've worked for depends on your performance in the next hour or two. These types of lengthy, one-off tests create inertia and, arguably, do not provide an accurate picture of your knowledge and skill set.

Pulse flips this dynamic on its head. Each assessment takes no more than 25 minutes. Instead, we recommend taking a Pulse regularly until you build up your reliability score. This way, you get a much more consistent picture of your strengths and weaknesses as a designer. Once you reach a 100% reliability score, you can check in with a Pulse assessment at any time to measure the progress you’ve made since your last attempt.

From Assessment to Action

Pulse takes the guesswork out of leveling up your career. After each assessment, you'll get:

  • A detailed breakdown of your results
  • A personal Skill Graph that shows where you shine
  • Benchmark metrics, so you can see how you can see how you compare to others in your role
  • Tailored course recommendations to improve your knowledge and boost your skills

Uxcel Pro members can also review the answers from their most recent assessment, allowing you to pinpoint specific topics for further learning. For example, if you see that scored well on Visual Design questions but struggled with research-related questions, you’ll be able to dive back into our course on UX research.

Stand out from the crowd

As you take regular assessments, Pulse builds a clear picture of your design journey over time, allowing you to showcase your progress. Hiring managers and employers can quickly get tired of reading resumes, but everyone loves visuals. Adding graphs from Pulse makes your resume easier to scan and helps it stand out from the rest. You can confidently share your Pulse results with potential employers, giving them an unbiased look at your design skills and showing off your commitment to getting better every day.

Think of it as your secret weapon in the job market – a way to prove your worth that goes beyond your resume and portfolio. With Pulse, you're not just taking tests; you're crafting a compelling story of your growth as a designer.

For Team Leads: Empower Your Designers

As a team lead, you want to see your designers thrive and reach their full potential. Pulse is your partner in this mission, helping you:

  1. Spot individual strengths within your team. This lets you assign tasks more effectively and build dream teams for each project.
  2. Pinpoint knowledge gaps across your team to create focused learning plans and suggest specific courses or resources for them.
  3. Watch your team members grow over time.
  4. Use solid data when conducting performance reviews and when discussing career growth with team members.
  5. Create a culture where everyone's excited to keep learning and improving.

Pulse gives Team Leads consistent, reliable insights into each designer's skills by using multiple assessments instead of just one-off tests. These assessments cover both role-specific and core design skills, so you get a clear view of what your team can do. Plus, with regular reassessments, your team will always be up-to-date with the latest tools and best practices in design.

Join the Pulse Revolution

We created Pulse because, as designers, we knew there could be a better way to build skills and measure growth. Now, we're excited to share it with the designers like you. Whether you're looking to chart your own professional development or build a high-performing design team, Pulse offers a more insightful, reliable, and designer-friendly way to assess skills and measure growth.

Pulse isn't just another assessment tool – it's your partner in the journey towards design excellence. Join us in embracing a better way to recognize, evaluate, and nurture design talent. After all, in an industry that thrives on innovation, isn't it time our skill assessments caught up with us?

Ready to take your design career to the next level? Take your first Pulse today and see the difference for yourself!