UX Case Study Readiness Scorecard

Publishing a case study is easy to treat as a formatting task. The harder question is whether the reader can understand your contribution without you explaining it live. A readiness scorecard gives you a simple way to test that before you share the link.

1. Problem clarity

Score yourself from 1 to 5. Can a reader understand who had the problem, where it happened, and why it mattered? A low score usually means the case study begins with the solution or a broad statement about improving experience. Add context until the problem feels specific enough to evaluate.

2. Role and contribution clarity

Can the reader tell what you personally did? This matters in team projects. Name your responsibilities, your level of ownership, and the moments where your decisions shaped the work. Avoid making the entire project sound like an individual effort if it was collaborative.

3. Decision visibility

A case study should not only show steps. It should show decisions. Review each major section and ask what changed because of that activity. If a research section does not affect the design direction, either strengthen the connection or remove the section.

4. Evidence quality

Evidence can come from interviews, tests, analytics, stakeholder input, support tickets, or market constraints. The question is whether the evidence supports the decision you are making. Do not add numbers unless they are real. A qualitative observation can be enough when it is specific.

5. Trade-off articulation

Strong case studies show that design choices have costs. Did you choose speed over depth, simplicity over control, or a narrow scope over a broader feature set? Name at least one tension that shaped the final direction.

6. Impact and learning

Impact does not always mean a business metric. Especially for junior work, it may mean what improved in testing, what became clearer, or what you would measure next. The section should help the reader understand what the project changed or taught you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I score my case study? Use 1 to 5 for each area and focus first on the lowest score. Do not try to fix everything at once.

What score means the case study is ready? There is no universal number, but weak scores in problem clarity or role clarity usually need attention before publishing.

Can I use this scorecard for a bootcamp project? Yes. It is especially useful when professional context is limited.

Should impact always include metrics? No. Real metrics are useful, but invented metrics damage trust. Use qualitative impact when that is what you have.

What is the most important scorecard item? Role clarity and decision visibility are often the two biggest signals in a hiring review.