Agile/UX Integration: : how user experience-related practices and processes are integrated with Agile development processes in real-world projects

The research presented in this thesis provides empirical data on how work practices and processes related to user experience (UX) are integrated with Agile software development processes in real-world projects. Agile processes do not inherently provide rules or guidelines for how or when UX-related activities should be conducted, and the Agile/UX integration field of study investigates how the two may best be combined. Five case studies have been conducted as part of the research. Two of the cases focus on integration in Scrum projects, two focus on integration in Kanban projects, and one focuses on integration in a "general Agile" project. All of the cases involve multi-year projects with mature Agile teams. As the Kanban process is fairly new in a software development context, little empirical research exists in this area in general, and previous empirical studies of Agile/UX integration in Kanban projects have not been found. Detailed descriptions of all the cases are presented in the Results chapter. A systematic search of relevant literature shows that suggested approaches to Agile/UX integration mostly follow the "parallel track" model, in which developers and UX designers work in separate, parallel tracks. Designs and specifications are created one or more cycles/sprints ahead of development, and completed features are validated and tested one or more cycles/sprints after development. A short up-front analysis/design phase is usually recommended. Effective use of the model requires using "lightweight" UX techniques like paper/low-fidelity prototype testing, RITE testing, lightweight Personas and informal cognitive walkthroughs. The study results suggest that the parallel track model is better suited to describe integration in settings where fixed time boxes are used, as in Scrum, than in settings where time boxes are flexible, as in Kanban. Future work in this area may benefit from developing and using additional, alternative models to describe and study integration. A set of general advice targeted at process designers based on study results is presented in the last chapter. An important element to be considered when designing an Agile process is to allow for design iteration based on feedback from UX testing and evaluation. Ideally, the process should have a built-in loop at regular intervals for gathering feedback and for acting on the results

Factors for successful Agile collaboration between UX designers and software developers in a complex organisation

User Centred Design (UCD) and Agile Software Development (ASD) processes have been two extremely successful methods for software development in recent years. However, both have been repeatedly described as frequently putting contradictory demands on people working with the respective processes. The current research addresses this point by focussing on the crucial relationship between a User Experience (UX) designer and a software developer. In-depth interviews, an online survey, a contextual inquiry and a diary study are described from a sample of over 100 designers, developers and their stakeholders (managers) in a large media organisation exploring factors for success in Agile development cycles. The findings from the survey show that organisational separation is challenge for agile collaboration between the two roles and while designers and developers have similar levels of (moderately positive) satisfaction with Agile processes, there are differences between the two roles. While developers are happier with the wider teamwork but want more access to and close collaboration with designers, particularly in an environment set up for Agile practices, the designers’ concern was the quality of the wider teamwork. The respondent’s comments also identified that the two roles saw a close – and ideally co-located – cooperation as essential for improving communication, reducing inefficiencies, and avoiding bad products being released. These results reflected the findings from the in-depth interviews with stakeholders. In particular, it was perceived that co-located pairing helped understanding different role-dependent demands and skills, increased efficiency of prototyping and implementing changes, and enabling localised decision-making. However, organisational processes, the setup of work-environment, and managerial traditions meant that this close collaboration and localised decision-making was often not possible to maintain over extended periods. Despite this, the studies conducted between pairs of designers and developers, found that successful collaboration between designers and developers can be found in a complex organisational setting. From the analysis of the empirical studies, six contributing factors emerged that support this. These factors are 1) Close proximity, 2) Early and frequent communication, 3) Shared ideation and problem solving, 4) Crossover of knowledge and skills, 5) Co-creation and prototyping and 6) Making joint decisions. These factors are crucially determined and empowered by the support from the organisational setting and 3 teams where practitioners work. Specifically, by overcoming key challenges to enable integration between UCD and ASD and thus encouraging close collaboration between UX designers and software developers, these challenges are: 1) Organisational structure and team culture, 2) Location and environmental setup and 3) Decision-making. These challenges along with the six factors that enable successful Agile collaboration between designers and developers provide the main contributions of this research. These contributions can be applied within large complex organisations by adopting the suggested ‘Paired Collaboration Manifesto’ to improve the integration between UCD and ASD. Beyond this, more empirical studies can take place, further extending improvements to the collaborative practices between the design and development roles and their surrounding teams

Teams in agile software development: Design principles and examination of human factors

In response to new customer requirements, market dynamics, mergers, and technological innovation, modern software development organizations are adopting agile software development (ASD). Yet, the simple adoption of agile methods such as Scrum or eXtreme programming does not automatically result in a very agile team. While we understand the introduction and adoption of ASD from a methodical perspective, we have yet to explore design principles that guide methodical extensions of ASD, and we need to learn more about the human factors that influence software development teams. This thesis presents four studies. Studies 1 and 2 investigate the methodical extension of ASD by identifying design principles from secondary data. Study 1 extends ASD with processes and practices from user-centered design. Study 2 investigates early activities that precede development activities. The thesis also investigates human factors of agile software development in studies 3 and 4. Study 3 compares teams along their extents of agility in order to identify influential factors using a multicase study design. Study 4 tests the effects of emotional contagion in virtual software development teams using a large dataset from an open source software repository. Thus, this thesis makes two primary contributions. First, it develops design principles for methodical extensions of ASD; second, it contributes to the human factors that influence software development teams. Managers also receive guidance on the improvement of ASD in their organization