The article shares an experience where the author took a job as a “designer” but found the role involved many non-design tasks. This highlighted a lack of understanding about UX design at the company. 

To do high-quality work, designers need companies that truly understand design. Characteristics of low maturity include seeing design as only aesthetics, little research, and research only after product release. 

Evaluating a company’s maturity can be done by creating a list of important parameters. Examples given are dedicated design budget, when and how often research is done, and design’s impact on business. 

Having a design executive or founder with design background positively impacts maturity. A questionnaire is provided to evaluate companies based on 13 questions and data points to estimate confidence in the evaluation. 

Job interviews present an opportunity to find answers to questionnaire questions to determine company fit. Designers should evaluate company maturity when considering or already in a job to establish a baseline.