User Experience Design and Agile Development

279 Pages·2013·13.47 MB·English

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User experience design and agile development :
integration as an on-going achievement in practice
Thesis
How to cite:
Ferreira, Jennifer (2012). User experience design and agile development : integration as an on-going achievement in
practice. PhD thesis The Open University.
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User Experience Design and Agile Development:
Integration as an on-going achievement in practice
A thesis ubmitted to The Open niversity
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Computing
by
Jennifer Ferreira
2011
I I -
ABSTRACT
This research investigates how Agile development is combined with User Experience
(UX) design. Agile development and UX design have roots in different disciplines
and practitioners have to reconcile their perspectives on developing software if they
are to work together. To date, there has been no sustained academic study on how
Agile developers and UX designers work together in practical settings on a day-ta-day
basis. The etlmographically-infonned research in this dissertation consists of three
studies of teams in organisational settings, combined with an analysis of accounts of
Agile development and UX design practice found in the literature. Together, they
provide evidence for the complex, multifaceted nature of the work that integrates
Agile development wit h UX design.
The studies of day-t.o-day practice conducted for this research, found the work
of the Agilp developers and UX designers to be localised, contingent and purposeful.
Agile d('wlopmcnt and UX design integration, as it wa..., achipved in the teams stud
ied, was negotiated and achieved on a day-to-day basis between the developers and
designers. The findings from the analysis of accounts of practice from the literature
show that integration is achieved with the right tools, techniques and processes that
coordinat(' between t he tasks of the developers and designers and establish a focus
on usability and releasing working software. How('VPr, the accounts contain little
OIl
and confiicting evidence for what constitutes the day-to-day work of Agile developers
and UX designers in practical settings and ~'i a result thl' utility of tools. techniques
and processes for practicl' is not dear.
Informed by the findings from the accounts in thE' literature and the studies of
practice, five facets emerged integral to an understanding of how the integration
&'i
of Agile development and UX design is an on-going achievement in practice. These
facets are (1) focus and coordination, (2) mutual awareness, (3) expectations about
acceptable behaviour, (4) negotiating progress and (5) engaging with each other. The
extent to which these facets enable integration, depend on contextual values concern-
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ing the combination of Agile development and UX design endorsed in the organisation.
These findings serve to establish conditions which can constrain and enable Agile de
velopers and UX designers in their integration work, while being sympathetic to the
values embedded in the settings in which they work.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research would not have been possible without the interest, support, help and
encouragement of many people over the years. Thanks to my supervisors, Helen Sharp
and Hugh Rohinson, for their invaluable advice, comments and insights. Thanks to
the members of the Empirical Studies of Software Development group for the stimu
lating discussions and willingness to share ideas. Thanks to The Open University for
funding this research and for implementing the structures and support that allow for a
thriving PhD community ~~ I have made wonderful friends here. Thanks to all those
who participated in the field studies for generously allowing me access to a snapshot
of their working lives. Thanks to those who read and thoughtfully commented on
earlier drafts of parts of this dissertation: Minh Tran, Laura Plonka, Rashina Hoda,
and Nadia Pantidi. Finally, thank." to my parents. I know you shared in all the highs
and lows despite the difference in time zones.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction............
1
1.1 Dackgrollnd awl t('nnillolog~' . 2
l.l.1 Agil(' software d('wlopment
2
1.1.2 Us<'r ('xperi('nc(' design . . .
7
1.] .:3 COllll>ining Agik developlllcnt alld OX design
10
1.2 R< 's<'arch qll(,st ions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
1.:3 lnt egrat ion as an on-going (\chiev<'IlH'nt in pradic<':
Ovcr\'i('w of the filldings
13
I .. .! Cont rilmt ions
15
1.!"j Rowl lllap .
17
l.G Pllhlicat ions 18
2 Literature review. 20
2.1 Introdllction .. 21
2.2 Hlllll<ln-COllJpllt('J' Interact ion alJ(1 Software Engineering. 22
2.:3 T<'nsions t IHlt cOlJJbining Agile deveioplI)('lIt ,lIJd UX
desigll brings for practic(' . 25
2.:~.1 Tillliugj scheel Idillg 26
2.:3.2 hlJpl<'IIl<'lIt ation approaches 28
2.:3.:3 Power st.l'Ilggles and cnlt mal cliff(')'('lIces . 31
2.4 Dehates t hat shape the discussioll Oil cOlllbilling Agile development
awl UX dcsigll 33
2.4.1 Dig Desigll Up Frollt 33
2.4.2 Plac(, of desigll awl constnH'tiOll . 36
1
2.G *Design and Agile development: What is being combined? 37
2.5.1 *design terms found in the literature 37
2.5.2 Agile terms found in the literature . 42
2.5.3 Developers and designers are not the same 44
2.u Setting: Positionings of Agile development and UX design 47
2.7 SUlllmary 50
3 Research design 52
~~.1 Introduction. 52
~3.2 !\Iet hodological foundation and research design. 53
:3.3 Fidd work . . . . . 55
:~.;3.1 l\lain ('WIlts 57
3.:3.2 Thematic analysis. 58
:3.3.:3 SUllllllary of field and follow-up data 64
3.3.4 Et hieal considerations . 64
Anal~'sis of accounts of practice 64
;3.5 SlllIllllary 67
4 Study 1 .......... . 71
4.1 Introduction to Team1 72
4.2 Background . . . . 72
4.2.1 The people 74
4.2.2 The project 75
4.3 Data collection and analysis 76
4.4 Findings....... 78
4.4.1 Gap analysis. 79
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4.·12 Understanding UX designs ami pn'paring feedback 80
4.4.3 Carding and prioritising UX d('sigll . . . . . 80
4.4.4 \Vorking together in 11 culture of spparation . 81
4.5 Discussion....................... 84
4 ..5 .1 The situated naturc of UX design and Agile development 84
4.5.2 UX design and Agile development work a.-; coopemti1Jf wod: 85
4.5.3 l\lanaging cooperatioll through articlllation work. 88
4.G S ullllllary 89
5 Study 2 ................... . 91
5.1 Introduction to Team2A and Tealll2B . 91
5.2 Background . . . . 92
5.2.1 The people 95
5.2.2 TIl(' projects. 95
5.3 Data collection and anal~'sis 96
5.4 Findings....... 97
5.4.1 The QA role . 99
.1.4.2 Sharing UX decision-lllaking 103
5.4.3 Fluidity: UX/ nOll-UX isslles look t hp satne 105
5.5 Discussion . . . 107
5.5.1 l\lanagillg integratioll through 107
aWCl)'C'IH'SS
5.5.2 QA bridgillg between d('vdopprs awl t he designer 109
5.6 SUlllmary ......................... . 111
6 Study 3 .......... . 112
G.1 Illtroductioll to Tearn3 112
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-.-------
6.2 Background . . . . 113
6.2.1 The peopk 115
6.2.2 The projcct 116
G.3 Data collection and analysis 116
604 Findings........... 117
6.4.1 Serum de\Tloplllent anel negot iat ing progress . 118
604.2 D(,cision-making and COllllllon actioll 121
GA.:3 Engaging ami shaping d<'IH'lHienci<'s . 122
G.S Discussion.......... 125
6.0.1 (Re)cJ'('ating progress 125
G.5.2 Exp<'ctations ahout cHT('ptahl(' hdUl\'iOlll" (work group culture) 126
G.G SUllllllary 128
7 Accounts of practice. 130
7.1 Introduction 131
7.2 .\lcrhod 133
7.2.1 S<'Hrch strat<'gy: Stag<, 1 133
7.2.2 S<'aI"ch strategy: Stage 2 136
7.2.3 Thcmatic analysis: Stage:3 . 138
,
7.;3 The challellg<' represcnted in prad i tiOlH'f reports. 145
7.4 Int('gration a~ focus and coordination ...... . 147
7.5 Combination strat<'gics: Merging. inserting alld adapting 148
7.G Agrecment. confiict and ('ontingf'nc~' 150
7.6.1 \Vorking together is bet1<:'r and Illlltuall~' beneficial 151
7.6.2 Natural fit Of irn'concilahlc diffefcnces? ...... . 152
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7.6.3 Useful tensions or frustrating conflicts? 153
7. G.4 Contingency............... 155
7.7 The challenge rcpres('nted in empirical studies 157
7.~ Vnderstcmciing differences and similarities between Agile development
Hnd UX design 158
7.9 (en )problemat ic combinations 160
7.1 () Shared conc(,rIlS lwtwPcll pract itioner report s and empirical st udi{'s 161
7.11 A disjointed discourse. 162
7.12 Limitations 164
7.13 Conclusion. 165
7.1-4 AC("(Jllllts included in the anal~'sis 166
8 Discussion . . . 174
~.l Iutro<iuction 175
~.2 Shclj)('d hy decisions. 176
~.2.1 Study 1: Valuing separation 177
~.2.2 St udy 2: Valuing toget ht'rIlcSS 179
~.2.:3 Stlld~' :3: Valuing leaming 180
8.2.4 Implications of surfacing values and assumptiolls . 182
8.:3 Comparillg tilt' field work with the accounts of practice 183
~C3.1 Comhillation strategies ....... . 184
~.:3.2 Agreement.. conflict and contingency 184
8.~3.3 Similarities and differences 186
8.4 Achi('ving intpgration . . . . . . . 187
8.-4.1 Integration a.-; focus and coordinatioll 187
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