Which categorization best describes the technique of evaluating a mobile app against UI best practices?

The technique of evaluating a mobile app against UI best practices is best described as checklist-based because it involves systematically checking each aspect of the user interface against a predefined list of best practices or standards. This method is structured, allowing for comprehensive coverage of the UI elements and ensuring that all important guidelines concerning usability and design are considered.

Checklist-based testing helps testers ensure consistency and thoroughness in their evaluations. By using a checklist, testers can focus on key areas of user interaction, such as navigation flows, visual elements, accessibility concerns, and responsiveness, which are all critical for a mobile application's success.

This approach contrasts with exploratory testing, which is more ad-hoc and relies on testers' creativity and intuition rather than a defined set of criteria. While specification-based testing might involve checking against requirements, it does not specifically focus on UI best practices. Error guessing is a technique based on the tester's experience and intuition of where defects might exist, rather than a structured evaluation of best practices. Thus, the checklist-based approach aligns most closely with the requirements of evaluating a mobile app against established UI criteria.