At no point did I suggest I ask anyone to design anything - it's a simple question with a simple solution (if they know how to program).

My opinion, of course, but a "good programmer" can think through the solution entirely in their head without hands touching keyboard. Code is the byproduct of the person's thoughts. I'm looking for people who think like programmers. If that bar is too high, I'm rather disappointed with the state of the programming community.