Making Design Tangible in Software Development Projects

Abstract

User Experience (UX) Professionals often face the problem that their role and their contribution to software development projects are misunderstood. They are confronted with new challenges when they join agile or lean project teams. Over the following pages I will explain how UX professionals can make design tangible. I will describe how they can guide software development projects, how they can create a common understanding of the targeted User Experience and how they can involve others in the shaping of the design. After outlining the current challenges, I will explain how activities such as Design Studios, Sketching and Prototyping can be used to foster an understanding of the design rationale, and how artifacts like Product Vision Statements, Design Tenets, Personas, User Scenarios,Wireframes and UI Flows help to frame the design problem and document the design solution. Using these activities and artifacts will lead to smoother project operations and better results.