Understanding the work of an HCI practitioner

Abstract

Users should be involved in the development of information technology (IT) artifacts. However, this is challenging, especially in product development context, in which Human Computer Interaction (HCI) practitioners tend to be hired to 'represent the users' in the development. However, also their work has proven to be challenging. This paper analyzes their work by utilizing a metaphor of IT artifacts as texts and their development as writing. It is assumed that during writing the IT artifact texts 'users are configured'. HCI practitioners are to contribute to the 'configuration of the user'. However, divergent roles are assigned to these practitioners, both in theory and in practice. Therefore, both theoretical and empirical analyses of the work of the HCI practitioners are carried out, and implications both for theory and practice are discussed. Particularly the semiotic approach introduced in this paper and its implications on HCI theory are reflected on.

Usability Specialists as Boundary Spanners – An Appraisal of Usability Specialists’ Work in Multiparty Distributed Open Source Software Development Effort

“…Gulliksen and his research group have reported numerous studies, mostly concerning public authorities in Sweden [e.g. 3,12,13], while Iivari has analyzed usability specialists work practices in product development in Finland [15,16]. These are qualitative inquiries on the matter, but there is also some survey research carried out [6,12,37] 26,27], reporting on usability specialists' ways of working when face-to-face contact is impossible.…”

“…This study examines the work of human computer interaction specialists (HCI), whose work practice has been studied under the varying labels such as usability professional [7,13], usability specialist [4,6], usability practitioner [25] and HCI practitioner [12,15]. Here, these experts will be called usability specialists [in line with 3,13], as this is a widely known and accepted job role in industry and there already is an association for usability professionals.…”

“…One of those has been their work of not having impact on the solution under development [e.g. 4,7,15]. Usability specialists, if not totally ignored, may be in informative or consultative roles, meaning that they may only be allowed to provide information or to comment on predefined design solutions, without having decision-making power or ability to directly impact the design solution [15].…”

“…4,7,15]. Usability specialists, if not totally ignored, may be in informative or consultative roles, meaning that they may only be allowed to provide information or to comment on predefined design solutions, without having decision-making power or ability to directly impact the design solution [15]. Also studies in open source software development have shown that usability specialists, when trying to contribute to the development, tend to remain isolated and alienated and their work not necessarily having any impact on the actual solution [e.g., 1,26,27].…”

“…Also studies in open source software development have shown that usability specialists, when trying to contribute to the development, tend to remain isolated and alienated and their work not necessarily having any impact on the actual solution [e.g., 1,26,27]. However, it is recommended that usability specialists should be in participative role, actively taking part in the design process, having decision-making power regarding the solution [15,27] if not acting as the designers having authority to make the important design decisions concerning the product quality [e.g. 8].…”