2023
Gray, Colin M; Boling, Elizabeth
Learning Experience Design in the light of design knowledge and philosophy Journal Article
In: The Journal of Applied Instructional Design, vol. 12, iss. 3, pp. 217–226, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Theory, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design
@article{Gray2023-cv,
title = {Learning Experience Design in the light of design knowledge and philosophy},
author = {Colin M Gray and Elizabeth Boling},
url = {https://edtechbooks.org/jaid_12_3/LXD_design_knowledge_and_philosophy},
doi = {10.59668/515.12901},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-09-23},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
journal = {The Journal of Applied Instructional Design},
volume = {12},
issue = {3},
pages = {217–226},
publisher = {EdTech Books},
abstract = {Instructional design has been dominated by a philosophy focused
on efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal. Learning Experience
Design (LXD), emerging recently, offers a different set of
values with the potential to enhance and evolve the practice of
design for teaching and learning. Using the concepts of
knowledge and philosophy from the literature on design theory,
we challenge the notion that LXD is a discrete new field
separate from instructional design and instead identify LXD as
an alternate philosophy of design. We conclude with the
opportunity to recognize additional philosophies in the field
and consider the impacts of philosophy on knowledge-building
practices.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Theory, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Instructional design has been dominated by a philosophy focused
on efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal. Learning Experience
Design (LXD), emerging recently, offers a different set of
values with the potential to enhance and evolve the practice of
design for teaching and learning. Using the concepts of
knowledge and philosophy from the literature on design theory,
we challenge the notion that LXD is a discrete new field
separate from instructional design and instead identify LXD as
an alternate philosophy of design. We conclude with the
opportunity to recognize additional philosophies in the field
and consider the impacts of philosophy on knowledge-building
practices.
on efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal. Learning Experience
Design (LXD), emerging recently, offers a different set of
values with the potential to enhance and evolve the practice of
design for teaching and learning. Using the concepts of
knowledge and philosophy from the literature on design theory,
we challenge the notion that LXD is a discrete new field
separate from instructional design and instead identify LXD as
an alternate philosophy of design. We conclude with the
opportunity to recognize additional philosophies in the field
and consider the impacts of philosophy on knowledge-building
practices.
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Obi, Ike; Carlock, Thomas; Gray, Colin M
Wrangling Ethical Design Complexity: Dilemmas, Tensions, and Situations Proceedings Article
In: Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS Companion '23), 2023.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research
@inproceedings{Chivukula2023-wj,
title = {Wrangling Ethical Design Complexity: Dilemmas, Tensions, and Situations},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Ike Obi and Thomas Carlock and Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3563703.3596632
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023_Chivukulaetal_DISPWIP_WranglingEthicalDesignComplexity.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3563703.3596632},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-07-01},
urldate = {2023-07-01},
booktitle = {Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS Companion '23)},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Gray, Colin M; Parsons, Paul C
Building Student Capacity to Engage with Design Methods Proceedings Article
In: EduCHI 2023: 5th Annual Symposium on HCI Education (EduCHI '23), Hamburg, Germany, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Studio Pedagogy
@inproceedings{Gray_undated-nk,
title = {Building Student Capacity to Engage with Design Methods},
author = {Colin M Gray and Paul C Parsons},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3587399.3587415
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_GrayParsons_EduCHI_MasterclassDesignMethods.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3587399.3587415},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-04-28},
booktitle = {EduCHI 2023: 5th Annual Symposium on HCI Education
(EduCHI '23)},
address = {Hamburg, Germany},
abstract = {Knowledge of design methods is critical for careers in
User Experience (UX) design and other fields commonly
served by HCI programs. In this masterclass, we will seek
to bring together the knowledge contained in key texts
commonly used in HCI education and the evident pedagogical
challenges that underlie codified methods knowledge. Such
fundamental questions at this intersection include: What
kind of knowledge do methods contain? How do students
learn about methods? and How do we know when students have
sufficient knowledge of methods to continue engaging in
adaptation, use, and creation in the future? We will
collaboratively address these questions, laying the
groundwork for participants to consider the following
issues in their own curriculum.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Studio Pedagogy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Knowledge of design methods is critical for careers in
User Experience (UX) design and other fields commonly
served by HCI programs. In this masterclass, we will seek
to bring together the knowledge contained in key texts
commonly used in HCI education and the evident pedagogical
challenges that underlie codified methods knowledge. Such
fundamental questions at this intersection include: What
kind of knowledge do methods contain? How do students
learn about methods? and How do we know when students have
sufficient knowledge of methods to continue engaging in
adaptation, use, and creation in the future? We will
collaboratively address these questions, laying the
groundwork for participants to consider the following
issues in their own curriculum.
User Experience (UX) design and other fields commonly
served by HCI programs. In this masterclass, we will seek
to bring together the knowledge contained in key texts
commonly used in HCI education and the evident pedagogical
challenges that underlie codified methods knowledge. Such
fundamental questions at this intersection include: What
kind of knowledge do methods contain? How do students
learn about methods? and How do we know when students have
sufficient knowledge of methods to continue engaging in
adaptation, use, and creation in the future? We will
collaboratively address these questions, laying the
groundwork for participants to consider the following
issues in their own curriculum.
2022
Gray, Colin M
Critical Pedagogy and the Pluriversal Design Studio Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society, Design Research Society, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Gray2022-kn,
title = {Critical Pedagogy and the Pluriversal Design Studio},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.238
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022_Gray_DRS_CriticalPedagogyPluriversalDesignStudio.pdf},
doi = {10.21606/drs.2022.238},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-06-01},
urldate = {2022-06-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Design Research Society},
publisher = {Design Research Society},
abstract = {Studio learning is central to the teaching of design. However,
the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside emerging and
historic critiques of studio pedagogy, creates a space for
critical engagement with the present and potential futures of
design education in studio. In this paper, I outline historic
critiques of studio pedagogy, drawing primarily from critical
pedagogy literature to frame issues relating to disempowerment,
student agency, and monolithic representations of the student
role and student development. I build upon this critical
foundation to re-imagine studio practices as pluriversal,
recognizing the challenges and opportunities of bridging
epistemological and ontological differences and facilitating the
potential for pluralism in design curricula, our student
experiences, and the future of design professions.},
keywords = {Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Studio learning is central to the teaching of design. However,
the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside emerging and
historic critiques of studio pedagogy, creates a space for
critical engagement with the present and potential futures of
design education in studio. In this paper, I outline historic
critiques of studio pedagogy, drawing primarily from critical
pedagogy literature to frame issues relating to disempowerment,
student agency, and monolithic representations of the student
role and student development. I build upon this critical
foundation to re-imagine studio practices as pluriversal,
recognizing the challenges and opportunities of bridging
epistemological and ontological differences and facilitating the
potential for pluralism in design curricula, our student
experiences, and the future of design professions.
the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside emerging and
historic critiques of studio pedagogy, creates a space for
critical engagement with the present and potential futures of
design education in studio. In this paper, I outline historic
critiques of studio pedagogy, drawing primarily from critical
pedagogy literature to frame issues relating to disempowerment,
student agency, and monolithic representations of the student
role and student development. I build upon this critical
foundation to re-imagine studio practices as pluriversal,
recognizing the challenges and opportunities of bridging
epistemological and ontological differences and facilitating the
potential for pluralism in design curricula, our student
experiences, and the future of design professions.
Gray, Colin M; Liu, Wei; Xin, Xin; Chin, Daniel; Marks, Jacqueline; Bunting, Sadie; Anglin, Jerry; Hutzel, Becky; Kokate, Samruddhi; Yang, Yushu
Defamiliarization and Intercultural Learning in Cross-Cultural HCI Education Proceedings Article
In: EduCHI'22: 4th Annual Symposium on HCI Education, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Cross-Cultural Education, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Design Theory, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2022-es,
title = {Defamiliarization and Intercultural Learning in Cross-Cultural HCI Education},
author = {Colin M Gray and Wei Liu and Xin Xin and Daniel Chin and Jacqueline Marks and Sadie Bunting and Jerry Anglin and Becky Hutzel and Samruddhi Kokate and Yushu Yang},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022_Grayetal_EduCHI_DefamiliarizationInterculturalLearning.pdf},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-04-01},
urldate = {2022-04-01},
booktitle = {EduCHI'22: 4th Annual Symposium on HCI Education},
abstract = {HCI and UX work is increasingly global, and students have the
potential to benefit from building their globalization
competence. However, little research has described the unique
opportunities and challenges of intercultural project work in
the context of HCI education, including the ways in which design
knowledge is leveraged in a cross-cultural setting. In this
research paper, we describe the experiences of a Collaborative
Online International Learning (COIL) project team with
participants from China and the United States as they worked to
identify design opportunities to create ``charmful''
semi-autonomous driving experiences for the Chinese market.
Through our analysis of focus groups, synchronous group
meetings, and artifacts created over one academic semester, we
describe how students engaged design knowledge through the lens
of culture and identify strategies that the teams used to
constructively defamiliarize their understanding of the design
context and potential outcomes. We conclude with opportunities
and challenges in coordinating cross-cultural design work and
describe new ways in which defamiliarization might be a
productive lens to acknowledge and build upon cultural
knowledge.},
keywords = {Cross-Cultural Education, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Design Theory, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
HCI and UX work is increasingly global, and students have the
potential to benefit from building their globalization
competence. However, little research has described the unique
opportunities and challenges of intercultural project work in
the context of HCI education, including the ways in which design
knowledge is leveraged in a cross-cultural setting. In this
research paper, we describe the experiences of a Collaborative
Online International Learning (COIL) project team with
participants from China and the United States as they worked to
identify design opportunities to create ``charmful''
semi-autonomous driving experiences for the Chinese market.
Through our analysis of focus groups, synchronous group
meetings, and artifacts created over one academic semester, we
describe how students engaged design knowledge through the lens
of culture and identify strategies that the teams used to
constructively defamiliarize their understanding of the design
context and potential outcomes. We conclude with opportunities
and challenges in coordinating cross-cultural design work and
describe new ways in which defamiliarization might be a
productive lens to acknowledge and build upon cultural
knowledge.
potential to benefit from building their globalization
competence. However, little research has described the unique
opportunities and challenges of intercultural project work in
the context of HCI education, including the ways in which design
knowledge is leveraged in a cross-cultural setting. In this
research paper, we describe the experiences of a Collaborative
Online International Learning (COIL) project team with
participants from China and the United States as they worked to
identify design opportunities to create ``charmful''
semi-autonomous driving experiences for the Chinese market.
Through our analysis of focus groups, synchronous group
meetings, and artifacts created over one academic semester, we
describe how students engaged design knowledge through the lens
of culture and identify strategies that the teams used to
constructively defamiliarize their understanding of the design
context and potential outcomes. We conclude with opportunities
and challenges in coordinating cross-cultural design work and
describe new ways in which defamiliarization might be a
productive lens to acknowledge and build upon cultural
knowledge.
Pivonka, Anne; Makary, Laura; Gray, Colin M
Organizing Metaphors for Design Methods in Intermediate HCI Education Proceedings Article
In: EduCHI'22: 4th Annual Symposium on HCI Education, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Studio Pedagogy, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Pivonka2022-nm,
title = {Organizing Metaphors for Design Methods in Intermediate HCI Education},
author = {Anne Pivonka and Laura Makary and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022_PivonkaMakaryGray_EduCHI_OrganizingMetaphorsDesignMethods.pdf},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-04-01},
urldate = {2022-04-01},
booktitle = {EduCHI'22: 4th Annual Symposium on HCI Education},
abstract = {Design students must develop competence in a wide range of areas
in order to be successful in their future practice.
Increasingly, knowledge of design methods is used to frame both
a designer's repertoire and their overall facility as a
designer. However, there is little research on how students
build cognitive schema in relation to design methods or how
these schema relate to specific epistemological patterns of
engagement. In this research paper, we report a multiple case
study, capturing the experiences of four advanced undergraduate
UX design students at a large research-intensive institution.
Through an interview study and subsequent analysis, we describe
the wide variety of organizing metaphors that these students
used to frame their understanding and performance of design
methods, including both principles they used to consider methods
as knowledge, and the ways in which these organizing principles
impacted their practice of design. We conclude with
recommendations for further research on the uptake of
methods-focused competence in HCI education and practice.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Studio Pedagogy, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Design students must develop competence in a wide range of areas
in order to be successful in their future practice.
Increasingly, knowledge of design methods is used to frame both
a designer's repertoire and their overall facility as a
designer. However, there is little research on how students
build cognitive schema in relation to design methods or how
these schema relate to specific epistemological patterns of
engagement. In this research paper, we report a multiple case
study, capturing the experiences of four advanced undergraduate
UX design students at a large research-intensive institution.
Through an interview study and subsequent analysis, we describe
the wide variety of organizing metaphors that these students
used to frame their understanding and performance of design
methods, including both principles they used to consider methods
as knowledge, and the ways in which these organizing principles
impacted their practice of design. We conclude with
recommendations for further research on the uptake of
methods-focused competence in HCI education and practice.
in order to be successful in their future practice.
Increasingly, knowledge of design methods is used to frame both
a designer's repertoire and their overall facility as a
designer. However, there is little research on how students
build cognitive schema in relation to design methods or how
these schema relate to specific epistemological patterns of
engagement. In this research paper, we report a multiple case
study, capturing the experiences of four advanced undergraduate
UX design students at a large research-intensive institution.
Through an interview study and subsequent analysis, we describe
the wide variety of organizing metaphors that these students
used to frame their understanding and performance of design
methods, including both principles they used to consider methods
as knowledge, and the ways in which these organizing principles
impacted their practice of design. We conclude with
recommendations for further research on the uptake of
methods-focused competence in HCI education and practice.
Gray, Colin M; Hasib, Aiza; Li, Ziqing; Chivukula, Shruthi Sai
Using decisive constraints to create design methods that guide ethical impact Journal Article
In: Design Studies, vol. 79, pp. 101097, 2022, ISSN: 0142-694X.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Ethics and Values
@article{Gray2022-kv,
title = {Using decisive constraints to create design methods that guide ethical impact},
author = {Colin M Gray and Aiza Hasib and Ziqing Li and Shruthi Sai Chivukula},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X22000175},
doi = {10.1016/j.destud.2022.101097},
issn = {0142-694X},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-01},
urldate = {2022-03-01},
journal = {Design Studies},
volume = {79},
pages = {101097},
abstract = {Numerous methods have been designed to aid practitioners in
identifying ethical concerns, imagining potential futures,
defining values, and evaluating existing systems. However, there
is little scholarship that addresses the design of these methods,
including how ethical concerns are operationalized in these
methods. In this paper, we report results of an interview study
with twelve ethics-focused method designers, investigating their
process of instigating, creating, and disseminating their method.
We conducted a top-down thematic analysis using the Biskjaer and
Halskov framework of decisive constraints, identifying intrinsic,
extrinsic, and self-imposed constraints alongside iterative and
evaluative resonance-seeking activities. This analysis provides a
rich conceptual vocabulary to better describe the design of
methods for ethical impact from the perspective of researchers
and practitioners.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Numerous methods have been designed to aid practitioners in
identifying ethical concerns, imagining potential futures,
defining values, and evaluating existing systems. However, there
is little scholarship that addresses the design of these methods,
including how ethical concerns are operationalized in these
methods. In this paper, we report results of an interview study
with twelve ethics-focused method designers, investigating their
process of instigating, creating, and disseminating their method.
We conducted a top-down thematic analysis using the Biskjaer and
Halskov framework of decisive constraints, identifying intrinsic,
extrinsic, and self-imposed constraints alongside iterative and
evaluative resonance-seeking activities. This analysis provides a
rich conceptual vocabulary to better describe the design of
methods for ethical impact from the perspective of researchers
and practitioners.
identifying ethical concerns, imagining potential futures,
defining values, and evaluating existing systems. However, there
is little scholarship that addresses the design of these methods,
including how ethical concerns are operationalized in these
methods. In this paper, we report results of an interview study
with twelve ethics-focused method designers, investigating their
process of instigating, creating, and disseminating their method.
We conducted a top-down thematic analysis using the Biskjaer and
Halskov framework of decisive constraints, identifying intrinsic,
extrinsic, and self-imposed constraints alongside iterative and
evaluative resonance-seeking activities. This analysis provides a
rich conceptual vocabulary to better describe the design of
methods for ethical impact from the perspective of researchers
and practitioners.
2021
Boling, Elizabeth; Gray, Colin M; Howard, Craig; Baaki, John (Ed.)
Historical Instructional Design Cases: ID Knowledge in Context and Practice Book
Routledge, 2021.
BibTeX | Tags: Design Case, Design Knowledge, Instructional Design
@book{Boling2020-dv,
title = {Historical Instructional Design Cases: ID Knowledge in Context and Practice},
editor = {Elizabeth Boling and Colin M Gray and Craig Howard and John Baaki},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
publisher = {Routledge},
keywords = {Design Case, Design Knowledge, Instructional Design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}
2020
Gray, Colin M
Paradigms of Knowledge Production in Human-Computer Interaction: Towards a Framing for Learner Experience (LX) Design Book Section
In: Learner and User Experience Research: An Introduction for the Field of Learning Design & Technology, EdTech Books, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design, UX Knowledge
@incollection{Gray2020-wf,
title = {Paradigms of Knowledge Production in Human-Computer Interaction: Towards a Framing for Learner Experience (LX) Design},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {https://edtechbooks.org/ux/paradigms_in_hci
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020_Gray_LearnerUserExperienceResearch_ParadigmsofHCILX.pdf},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-01},
booktitle = {Learner and User Experience Research: An Introduction for the Field of Learning Design & Technology},
publisher = {EdTech Books},
abstract = {In this chapter, I contextualize the knowledge production of the
human-computer interaction (HCI) community within broader
epistemological, historical, and disciplinary framings of this
scholarship. I describe the historical landscape of HCI as a
discipline, including the significant subcommunities that have
formed over time as the discipline has become more inclusive of
disciplines and forms of knowledge. This description will map
across cognitivist, social constructivist, and humanist/design
threads of the community, all of which are still active
participants in the creation of HCI knowledge. These threads are
contextualized for a learning, design, and technology (LDT)
audience, including historical and theoretical connections to
scientific and humanist modes of instructional design
scholarship. I conclude with a preliminary grounding for learner
experience (LX) design and a conceptual roadmap that draws from
strengths in the LDT and HCI communities.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Instructional Design, Learning Experience (LX) Design, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
In this chapter, I contextualize the knowledge production of the
human-computer interaction (HCI) community within broader
epistemological, historical, and disciplinary framings of this
scholarship. I describe the historical landscape of HCI as a
discipline, including the significant subcommunities that have
formed over time as the discipline has become more inclusive of
disciplines and forms of knowledge. This description will map
across cognitivist, social constructivist, and humanist/design
threads of the community, all of which are still active
participants in the creation of HCI knowledge. These threads are
contextualized for a learning, design, and technology (LDT)
audience, including historical and theoretical connections to
scientific and humanist modes of instructional design
scholarship. I conclude with a preliminary grounding for learner
experience (LX) design and a conceptual roadmap that draws from
strengths in the LDT and HCI communities.
human-computer interaction (HCI) community within broader
epistemological, historical, and disciplinary framings of this
scholarship. I describe the historical landscape of HCI as a
discipline, including the significant subcommunities that have
formed over time as the discipline has become more inclusive of
disciplines and forms of knowledge. This description will map
across cognitivist, social constructivist, and humanist/design
threads of the community, all of which are still active
participants in the creation of HCI knowledge. These threads are
contextualized for a learning, design, and technology (LDT)
audience, including historical and theoretical connections to
scientific and humanist modes of instructional design
scholarship. I conclude with a preliminary grounding for learner
experience (LX) design and a conceptual roadmap that draws from
strengths in the LDT and HCI communities.
Gray, Colin M
Markers of Quality in Design Precedent Journal Article
In: International Journal of Designs for Learning, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1–12, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Case, Design Knowledge, Instructional Design
@article{Gray2020-yu,
title = {Markers of Quality in Design Precedent},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {https://doi.org/10.14434/ijdl.v11i3.31193
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020_Gray_IJDL_MarkersofQualityPrecedent.pdf},
doi = {10.14434/ijdl.v11i3.31193},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-01},
journal = {International Journal of Designs for Learning},
volume = {11},
number = {3},
pages = {1--12},
abstract = {The generation and description of design precedent is at the core
of design case scholarship. However, traditional standards of
quality and rigor that are relevant for other types of design and
scientific scholarship do not always apply equally to the
generation of design cases. In this paper, I describe the nature
of design precedent and the standards for evaluating precedent
artifacts in a way that foregrounds access of the reader to
aspects of design complexity in the design work being described.
Standards of quality point towards the appropriateness and
potential contribution of the precedent material to design
knowledge, across the following dimensions: interest to other
designers; rich representation of the design; articulation of
transparency and failure; accessibility of style; and
acknowledgement of complexity and scope.},
keywords = {Design Case, Design Knowledge, Instructional Design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The generation and description of design precedent is at the core
of design case scholarship. However, traditional standards of
quality and rigor that are relevant for other types of design and
scientific scholarship do not always apply equally to the
generation of design cases. In this paper, I describe the nature
of design precedent and the standards for evaluating precedent
artifacts in a way that foregrounds access of the reader to
aspects of design complexity in the design work being described.
Standards of quality point towards the appropriateness and
potential contribution of the precedent material to design
knowledge, across the following dimensions: interest to other
designers; rich representation of the design; articulation of
transparency and failure; accessibility of style; and
acknowledgement of complexity and scope.
of design case scholarship. However, traditional standards of
quality and rigor that are relevant for other types of design and
scientific scholarship do not always apply equally to the
generation of design cases. In this paper, I describe the nature
of design precedent and the standards for evaluating precedent
artifacts in a way that foregrounds access of the reader to
aspects of design complexity in the design work being described.
Standards of quality point towards the appropriateness and
potential contribution of the precedent material to design
knowledge, across the following dimensions: interest to other
designers; rich representation of the design; articulation of
transparency and failure; accessibility of style; and
acknowledgement of complexity and scope.
2019
Gray, Colin M; Kou, Yubo
Co-producing, curating, and defining design knowledge in an online practitioner community Journal Article
In: CoDesign, pp. 1–18, 2019, ISSN: 1571-0882.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@article{Gray2019-ji,
title = {Co-producing, curating, and defining design knowledge in an online practitioner community},
author = {Colin M Gray and Yubo Kou},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2018.1563193},
doi = {10.1080/15710882.2018.1563193},
issn = {1571-0882},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {CoDesign},
pages = {1--18},
publisher = {Taylor & Francis},
abstract = {ABSTRACTAs co-design and other participatory design practices
increasingly make design outcomes more accessible to everyday
citizens, it is also important to understand how designers
negotiate the value of design knowledge that undergirds design
action and share this knowledge within their own community to
facilitate and evolve their practices. In this study, we analyze
UX practitioners? interactions on Reddit, including patterns of
resource sharing and curation that point towards a collective
construction of UX as a design discipline. We identified how
knowledge from diverse sources was selected and shared with the
subreddit community (co-production); the resources that
community members engaged with and to what extent (curation);
and the collective body of knowledge that characterised the
design community (definition of design knowledge). We found that
boundary work that sought to define the value of UX knowledge
often took place at the periphery of shared resources, either
expanding or rearticulating the boundary of UX knowledge in
relation to trends in employment and nascent
professionalisation. Implications of this work for the
co-creation of knowledge to support design practices are
considered, focusing on how design knowledge concomitantly
shapes and is shaped by client-directed design action.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
ABSTRACTAs co-design and other participatory design practices
increasingly make design outcomes more accessible to everyday
citizens, it is also important to understand how designers
negotiate the value of design knowledge that undergirds design
action and share this knowledge within their own community to
facilitate and evolve their practices. In this study, we analyze
UX practitioners? interactions on Reddit, including patterns of
resource sharing and curation that point towards a collective
construction of UX as a design discipline. We identified how
knowledge from diverse sources was selected and shared with the
subreddit community (co-production); the resources that
community members engaged with and to what extent (curation);
and the collective body of knowledge that characterised the
design community (definition of design knowledge). We found that
boundary work that sought to define the value of UX knowledge
often took place at the periphery of shared resources, either
expanding or rearticulating the boundary of UX knowledge in
relation to trends in employment and nascent
professionalisation. Implications of this work for the
co-creation of knowledge to support design practices are
considered, focusing on how design knowledge concomitantly
shapes and is shaped by client-directed design action.
increasingly make design outcomes more accessible to everyday
citizens, it is also important to understand how designers
negotiate the value of design knowledge that undergirds design
action and share this knowledge within their own community to
facilitate and evolve their practices. In this study, we analyze
UX practitioners? interactions on Reddit, including patterns of
resource sharing and curation that point towards a collective
construction of UX as a design discipline. We identified how
knowledge from diverse sources was selected and shared with the
subreddit community (co-production); the resources that
community members engaged with and to what extent (curation);
and the collective body of knowledge that characterised the
design community (definition of design knowledge). We found that
boundary work that sought to define the value of UX knowledge
often took place at the periphery of shared resources, either
expanding or rearticulating the boundary of UX knowledge in
relation to trends in employment and nascent
professionalisation. Implications of this work for the
co-creation of knowledge to support design practices are
considered, focusing on how design knowledge concomitantly
shapes and is shaped by client-directed design action.
Watkins, Chris; Chivukula, Shruthi S; McKay, Lucca; Gray, Colin M
"Nothing Comes Before Profit": Asshole Design in the Wild Proceedings Article
In: CHI EA '19: CHI'19 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. LBW1314, 2019.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Asshole Design, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, Reddit, Social Media, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Watkins2019-yb,
title = {"Nothing Comes Before Profit": Asshole Design in the Wild},
author = {Chris Watkins and Shruthi S Chivukula and Lucca McKay and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019_ChivukulaWatkinsMcKayGray_CHI_LBW_AssholeDesignintheWild.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3312863},
doi = {10.1145/3290607.3312863},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
booktitle = {CHI EA '19: CHI'19 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
pages = {LBW1314},
keywords = {Asshole Design, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, Reddit, Social Media, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
2018
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; Adams, Robin S
Understanding Social Roles in an Online Community of Volatile Practice: A Study of User Experience Practitioners on Reddit Journal Article
In: ACM Transactions on Social Computing, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 17, 2018, ISSN: 2469-7818.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@article{Kou2018-dw,
title = {Understanding Social Roles in an Online Community of Volatile Practice: A Study of User Experience Practitioners on Reddit},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Robin S Adams},
url = {https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3301392.3283827},
doi = {10.1145/3283827},
issn = {2469-7818},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-12-01},
journal = {ACM Transactions on Social Computing},
volume = {1},
number = {4},
pages = {17},
publisher = {ACM},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M
Distinctions Between the Communication of Experiential and Academic Design Knowledge: a linguistic analysis Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2018 Design Research Society Conference, 2018.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research
@inproceedings{Kou_undated-px,
title = {Distinctions Between the Communication of Experiential and Academic Design Knowledge: a linguistic analysis},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/dma.2018.532},
doi = {10.21606/dma.2018.532},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-06-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2018 Design Research Society Conference},
abstract = {Design research has historically focused upon collocated design practices where the production of artefacts, collaboration between designers, and designers’ learning practices are geographically bounded. Information and communication technologies are rapidly transforming this territorial context of designing and making by supporting designers to share experiential knowledge with peers online. But it is unclear how experiential design knowledge should be characterized, and how it may be different from academic design knowledge. In this study, we present a mixed-methods analysis to compare experiential design knowledge communicated in two online practitioner- oriented venues and two leading design research journals. We found that the articulation of experiential academic knowledge unsurprisingly differs in multiple linguistic measurements such as patterns of word usage and language formality. However, we also found that these distinctions are not absolute; in certain instances of online argumentation, practicing designers are able to effectively discipline their language use with the purpose of articulation and accuracy. We argue for increased attention to the ways in which online discussions regarding design practices contribute to the construction of design knowledge.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Design research has historically focused upon collocated design practices where the production of artefacts, collaboration between designers, and designers’ learning practices are geographically bounded. Information and communication technologies are rapidly transforming this territorial context of designing and making by supporting designers to share experiential knowledge with peers online. But it is unclear how experiential design knowledge should be characterized, and how it may be different from academic design knowledge. In this study, we present a mixed-methods analysis to compare experiential design knowledge communicated in two online practitioner- oriented venues and two leading design research journals. We found that the articulation of experiential academic knowledge unsurprisingly differs in multiple linguistic measurements such as patterns of word usage and language formality. However, we also found that these distinctions are not absolute; in certain instances of online argumentation, practicing designers are able to effectively discipline their language use with the purpose of articulation and accuracy. We argue for increased attention to the ways in which online discussions regarding design practices contribute to the construction of design knowledge.
Gray, Colin M
Revealing Students' Ethical Awareness during Problem Framing Journal Article
In: International Journal of Art & Design Education, vol. 96, no. Dorst 2011, pp. 359, 2018, ISSN: 1476-8062.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values
@article{Gray2018-re,
title = {Revealing Students' Ethical Awareness during Problem Framing},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/jade.12190},
doi = {10.1111/jade.12190},
issn = {1476-8062},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Art & Design Education},
volume = {96},
number = {Dorst 2011},
pages = {359},
publisher = {Wiley Online Library},
abstract = {Abstract Expert designers determine what problem needs to be
solved by creating a frame that allows the identification of
potential solutions. However, it is unclear how students learn
to generate these frames effectively, particularly in relation
to ethical decision-making and selecting appropriate
constraints. In this study, undergraduate and graduate
industrial design students at a large Midwestern United States
university participated in a one-day workshop that focused on designing products for natives of sub-Saharan Africa to sell in their home nations. Participants (n=100) worked in 21 teams to
generate a range of constraints and problem statements while
being scaffolded by instructions, research materials and
worksheets. Teams struggled to identify specific use contexts
and users, even though these elements were present in relatively
complex form in provided research materials. Students appeared
to build distance between their own experiences and that of
users they were designing for, leading to little awareness of
the ethical and normative commitments that were reified in their
problem statements and solutions. Implications for the explicit
development of an ethically aware design character in design
education are considered.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Abstract Expert designers determine what problem needs to be
solved by creating a frame that allows the identification of
potential solutions. However, it is unclear how students learn
to generate these frames effectively, particularly in relation
to ethical decision-making and selecting appropriate
constraints. In this study, undergraduate and graduate
industrial design students at a large Midwestern United States
university participated in a one-day workshop that focused on designing products for natives of sub-Saharan Africa to sell in their home nations. Participants (n=100) worked in 21 teams to
generate a range of constraints and problem statements while
being scaffolded by instructions, research materials and
worksheets. Teams struggled to identify specific use contexts
and users, even though these elements were present in relatively
complex form in provided research materials. Students appeared
to build distance between their own experiences and that of
users they were designing for, leading to little awareness of
the ethical and normative commitments that were reified in their
problem statements and solutions. Implications for the explicit
development of an ethically aware design character in design
education are considered.
solved by creating a frame that allows the identification of
potential solutions. However, it is unclear how students learn
to generate these frames effectively, particularly in relation
to ethical decision-making and selecting appropriate
constraints. In this study, undergraduate and graduate
industrial design students at a large Midwestern United States
university participated in a one-day workshop that focused on designing products for natives of sub-Saharan Africa to sell in their home nations. Participants (n=100) worked in 21 teams to
generate a range of constraints and problem statements while
being scaffolded by instructions, research materials and
worksheets. Teams struggled to identify specific use contexts
and users, even though these elements were present in relatively
complex form in provided research materials. Students appeared
to build distance between their own experiences and that of
users they were designing for, leading to little awareness of
the ethical and normative commitments that were reified in their
problem statements and solutions. Implications for the explicit
development of an ethically aware design character in design
education are considered.
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M
What do you recommend a complete beginner like me to practice?: Professional Self-Disclosure in an Online Community Journal Article
In: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 2, no. CSCW, pp. 94, 2018.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@article{Kou2018-vh,
title = {What do you recommend a complete beginner like me to practice?: Professional Self-Disclosure in an Online Community},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3290265.3274363},
doi = {10.1145/3274363},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction},
volume = {2},
number = {CSCW},
pages = {94},
publisher = {ACM},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Boling, Elizabeth; Gray, Colin M
Use of Precedent as a Narrative Practice in Design Learning Book Section
In: Hokanson, Brad; Clinton, Gregory; Kaminski, Karen (Ed.): Educational Technology and Narrative: Story and Instructional Design, pp. 259–270, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2018, ISBN: 9783319699141.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Education, Design Knowledge
@incollection{Boling2018-wv,
title = {Use of Precedent as a Narrative Practice in Design Learning},
author = {Elizabeth Boling and Colin M Gray},
editor = {Brad Hokanson and Gregory Clinton and Karen Kaminski},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69914-1_21},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-69914-1_21},
isbn = {9783319699141},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Educational Technology and Narrative: Story and Instructional
Design},
pages = {259--270},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {In this chapter, we discuss narrative as a tool for designing,
with regard particularly to how narrative may characterize
precedent. Precedent is a critical form of design knowledge,
comprising the designer's awareness and experience, direct or
vicarious, of existing designs. Precedent informs an
understanding of a design space, affords the generation of
design moves within those spaces, and facilitates the creation
of new solutions. We describe the narrative character of
precedent and illustrate the narrative nature and use of
precedent via an empirical study of masters-level student
designers as they began to understand and attempt to articulate
the precedent relationships that were informing their design
activity.},
keywords = {Design Education, Design Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
In this chapter, we discuss narrative as a tool for designing,
with regard particularly to how narrative may characterize
precedent. Precedent is a critical form of design knowledge,
comprising the designer's awareness and experience, direct or
vicarious, of existing designs. Precedent informs an
understanding of a design space, affords the generation of
design moves within those spaces, and facilitates the creation
of new solutions. We describe the narrative character of
precedent and illustrate the narrative nature and use of
precedent via an empirical study of masters-level student
designers as they began to understand and attempt to articulate
the precedent relationships that were informing their design
activity.
with regard particularly to how narrative may characterize
precedent. Precedent is a critical form of design knowledge,
comprising the designer's awareness and experience, direct or
vicarious, of existing designs. Precedent informs an
understanding of a design space, affords the generation of
design moves within those spaces, and facilitates the creation
of new solutions. We describe the narrative character of
precedent and illustrate the narrative nature and use of
precedent via an empirical study of masters-level student
designers as they began to understand and attempt to articulate
the precedent relationships that were informing their design
activity.
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M
Towards Professionalization in an Online Community of Emerging Occupation: Discourses among UX Practitioners Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference on Supporting Groupwork, pp. 322–334, ACM, New York, New York, USA, 2018, ISBN: 9781450355629.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Kou2018-kc,
title = {Towards Professionalization in an Online Community of Emerging Occupation: Discourses among UX Practitioners},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3148330.3148352},
doi = {10.1145/3148330.3148352},
isbn = {9781450355629},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference on Supporting Groupwork},
pages = {322--334},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, New York, USA},
abstract = {The occupational landscape of the digital economy is rapidly
changing, resulting in the emergence of multidisciplinary
occupations. Emerging occupations such as user experience (UX)
design are in high demand, but these occupations lack clear
boundaries and have yet to develop into a profession with a
specified, coherent body of knowledge. While traditional
occupations such as medicine and law successfully claimed their
professional jurisdiction and high social power and status long
before the Internet, how do these emerging occupations work
towards professionalization, particularly as they are
increasingly supported by and through online communities? In
this paper, we investigate an online UX community to understand
how UX practitioners specify their occupational knowledge and
professional boundaries. Using this case as an example and
provocation, we discuss how online communities support the
emergence of new occupations and may play an indispensable role
in modern day patterns of professionalization.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The occupational landscape of the digital economy is rapidly
changing, resulting in the emergence of multidisciplinary
occupations. Emerging occupations such as user experience (UX)
design are in high demand, but these occupations lack clear
boundaries and have yet to develop into a profession with a
specified, coherent body of knowledge. While traditional
occupations such as medicine and law successfully claimed their
professional jurisdiction and high social power and status long
before the Internet, how do these emerging occupations work
towards professionalization, particularly as they are
increasingly supported by and through online communities? In
this paper, we investigate an online UX community to understand
how UX practitioners specify their occupational knowledge and
professional boundaries. Using this case as an example and
provocation, we discuss how online communities support the
emergence of new occupations and may play an indispensable role
in modern day patterns of professionalization.
changing, resulting in the emergence of multidisciplinary
occupations. Emerging occupations such as user experience (UX)
design are in high demand, but these occupations lack clear
boundaries and have yet to develop into a profession with a
specified, coherent body of knowledge. While traditional
occupations such as medicine and law successfully claimed their
professional jurisdiction and high social power and status long
before the Internet, how do these emerging occupations work
towards professionalization, particularly as they are
increasingly supported by and through online communities? In
this paper, we investigate an online UX community to understand
how UX practitioners specify their occupational knowledge and
professional boundaries. Using this case as an example and
provocation, we discuss how online communities support the
emergence of new occupations and may play an indispensable role
in modern day patterns of professionalization.
Gray, Colin M; Kou, Yubo; Battles, Bryan; Hoggatt, Joseph; Toombs, Austin L
The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 534:1–534:14, ACM, Montreal QC, Canada, 2018, ISBN: 9781450356206.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Dark Patterns, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2018-or,
title = {The Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design},
author = {Colin M Gray and Yubo Kou and Bryan Battles and Joseph Hoggatt and Austin L Toombs},
url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/3173574.3174108},
doi = {10.1145/3173574.3174108},
isbn = {9781450356206},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems},
pages = {534:1--534:14},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Montreal QC, Canada},
institution = {ACM},
series = {CHI '18},
abstract = {Interest in critical scholarship that engages with the
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.},
keywords = {Dark Patterns, Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Interest in critical scholarship that engages with the
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.
complexity of user experience (UX) practice is rapidly
expanding, yet the vocabulary for describing and assessing
criticality in practice is currently lacking. In this paper,
we outline and explore the limits of a specific ethical
phenomenon known as ``dark patterns,'' where user value is
supplanted in favor of shareholder value. We assembled a
corpus of examples of practitioner-identified dark patterns
and performed a content analysis to determine the ethical
concerns contained in these examples. This analysis revealed a
wide range of ethical issues raised by practitioners that were
frequently conflated under the umbrella term of dark patterns,
while also underscoring a shared concern that UX designers
could easily become complicit in manipulative or unreasonably
persuasive practices. We conclude with implications for the
education and practice of UX designers, and a proposal for
broadening research on the ethics of user experience.
2017
Gray, Colin M; Boling, Elizabeth
Designers' Articulation and Activation of Instrumental Design Judgements in Cross-Cultural User Research Book Chapter
In: pp. 191-211, CRC Press, 2017.
BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research
@inbook{Gray2017e,
title = {Designers' Articulation and Activation of Instrumental Design Judgements in Cross-Cultural User Research},
author = {Colin M Gray and Elizabeth Boling},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-11-01},
pages = {191-211},
publisher = {CRC Press},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
Brier, Jason A; Gray, Colin M; Kou, Yubo
In Search of UX Translators: Analyzing Researcher-Practitioner Interactions on Twitter Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems, pp. 111–115, ACM, New York, New York, USA, 2017, ISBN: 9781450349918.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, Translational Science, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Brier2017-nl,
title = {In Search of UX Translators: Analyzing Researcher-Practitioner Interactions on Twitter},
author = {Jason A Brier and Colin M Gray and Yubo Kou},
url = {http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3064857.3079129},
doi = {10.1145/3064857.3079129},
isbn = {9781450349918},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-06-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference Companion Publication
on Designing Interactive Systems},
pages = {111--115},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, New York, USA},
abstract = {Interest in the nature of HCI practice has increased in the past
decade, particularly in relation to the role and existence of
``translators'' that may bridge the gap between research and UX
practice. At present, there is insufficient research to
appropriately define and identify the activities of translators,
and we hope to provoke additional interest in this area by
documenting the UX - focused interactions on Twitter. In this
work-in-progress, we identified and visualized interactions
among a stratified set of UX practitioners and
practitioner-academic hybrids on Twitter, analyzing their
interactions to understand what relationships and roles may
exist. We found few potential translators, and none from a
primarily academic perspective. We identify implications and
provocations from this visualization and Twitter analysis
approach for future practice-led research.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, Translational Science, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Interest in the nature of HCI practice has increased in the past
decade, particularly in relation to the role and existence of
``translators'' that may bridge the gap between research and UX
practice. At present, there is insufficient research to
appropriately define and identify the activities of translators,
and we hope to provoke additional interest in this area by
documenting the UX - focused interactions on Twitter. In this
work-in-progress, we identified and visualized interactions
among a stratified set of UX practitioners and
practitioner-academic hybrids on Twitter, analyzing their
interactions to understand what relationships and roles may
exist. We found few potential translators, and none from a
primarily academic perspective. We identify implications and
provocations from this visualization and Twitter analysis
approach for future practice-led research.
decade, particularly in relation to the role and existence of
``translators'' that may bridge the gap between research and UX
practice. At present, there is insufficient research to
appropriately define and identify the activities of translators,
and we hope to provoke additional interest in this area by
documenting the UX - focused interactions on Twitter. In this
work-in-progress, we identified and visualized interactions
among a stratified set of UX practitioners and
practitioner-academic hybrids on Twitter, analyzing their
interactions to understand what relationships and roles may
exist. We found few potential translators, and none from a
primarily academic perspective. We identify implications and
provocations from this visualization and Twitter analysis
approach for future practice-led research.
Gray, Colin M; Kou, Yubo
UX Practitioners' Engagement with Intermediate-Level Knowledge Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems, pp. 13–17, ACM, New York, New York, USA, 2017, ISBN: 9781450349918.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Theory, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2017-rk,
title = {UX Practitioners' Engagement with Intermediate-Level Knowledge},
author = {Colin M Gray and Yubo Kou},
url = {http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3064857.3079110},
doi = {10.1145/3064857.3079110},
isbn = {9781450349918},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-06-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems},
pages = {13--17},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, New York, USA},
abstract = {Scholars have repeatedly called for the knowledge production efforts of the HCI research community to have resonance with the needs of practitioners. These efforts, reified in approaches such as “implications for design,” annotated portfolios, and other forms of intermediate-level knowledge have begun to take hold within the research community, yet it is unclear if and how these forms of knowledge are used to actually support user experience (UX) practice. In this study, we analyzed resources shared via URLs that pointed to articles on external websites within a practitioner- focused Reddit community. Using Löwgren’s taxonomy of intermediate-level knowledge, we identified the forms of knowledge these resources represent, and use this analysis as a provocation for future exploration into the types of knowledge practitioners desire and use to support their practice.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Theory, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Scholars have repeatedly called for the knowledge production efforts of the HCI research community to have resonance with the needs of practitioners. These efforts, reified in approaches such as “implications for design,” annotated portfolios, and other forms of intermediate-level knowledge have begun to take hold within the research community, yet it is unclear if and how these forms of knowledge are used to actually support user experience (UX) practice. In this study, we analyzed resources shared via URLs that pointed to articles on external websites within a practitioner- focused Reddit community. Using Löwgren’s taxonomy of intermediate-level knowledge, we identified the forms of knowledge these resources represent, and use this analysis as a provocation for future exploration into the types of knowledge practitioners desire and use to support their practice.
Gray, Colin M; Boling, Elizabeth
Designers' Articulation and Activation of Instrumental Design Judgments in Cross-Cultural User Research Book Chapter
In: Christensen, Bo T; Ball, Linden J; Halskov, Kim (Ed.): Analysing Design Thinking: Studies of Cross-Cultural Co-Creation, pp. 191–214, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2017.
BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research
@inbook{Gray2017-dx,
title = {Designers' Articulation and Activation of Instrumental Design Judgments in Cross-Cultural User Research},
author = {Colin M Gray and Elizabeth Boling},
editor = {Bo T Christensen and Linden J Ball and Kim Halskov},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {Analysing Design Thinking: Studies of Cross-Cultural Co-Creation},
pages = {191--214},
publisher = {CRC Press},
address = {Boca Raton, FL},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
Gray, Colin M; Fernandez, Todd M
Developing a Socially-Aware Engineering Identity Through Transdisciplinary Learning Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education
@inproceedings{Gray2017-mi,
title = {Developing a Socially-Aware Engineering Identity Through Transdisciplinary Learning},
author = {Colin M Gray and Todd M Fernandez},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2017_GrayFernandez_MUDD_SociallyAwareEngineeringIdentity.pdf},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Mudd Design Workshop X: Design and the Future of the Engineer of 2020},
publisher = {Harvey Mudd College},
address = {Claremont, CA},
abstract = {In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in engineering education, questions arise regarding how students build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity. In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and epistemological perspectives that draw on that social turn, particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the meaning-making assumptions of these students to reveal characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities, and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in these subjectivities. We conclude with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity formation in engineering education.},
keywords = {Critical Pedagogy, Design Education, Design Knowledge, Transdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinary Education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In conjunction with the drive towards human-centered design in engineering education, questions arise regarding how students build and engage a socially-aware engineering identity. In this paper, we describe how students in a transdisciplinary undergraduate program struggle to engage with ontological and epistemological perspectives that draw on that social turn, particularly in relation to human-centered engineering approaches and sociotechnical complexity. We use a critical qualitative meaning reconstruction approach to deeply analyze the meaning-making assumptions of these students to reveal characteristic barriers in engaging with other subjectivities, and related epistemological and ontological claims implicit in these subjectivities. We conclude with implications for encouraging socially-aware identity formation in engineering education.
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M
Supporting Distributed Critique through Interpretation and Sense-Making in an Online Creative Community Journal Article
In: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 1, no. CSCW, pp. 60, 2017, ISSN: 2573-0142.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critique, Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@article{Kou2017-iq,
title = {Supporting Distributed Critique through Interpretation and Sense-Making in an Online Creative Community},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2017_KouGray_CSCW_PACMHCI_DistributedCritique.pdf
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=3171581.3134695},
doi = {10.1145/3134695},
issn = {2573-0142},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction},
volume = {1},
number = {CSCW},
pages = {60},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Critique is an important component of creative work in design education and practice, through which individuals can solicit advice and obtain feedback on their work. Face-to-face critique in offline settings such as design studios has been well-documented and theorized. However, little is known about unstructured distributed critique in online creative communities where people share and critique each other’s work, and how these practices might resemble or differ from studio critique. In this paper, we use mixed-methods to examine distributed critique practices in a UX-focused online creative community on Reddit. We found that distributed critique resembles studio critique categorically, but differs qualitatively. While studio critique often focuses on depth, distributed critique often revolved around collective sensemaking, through which creative workers engaged in iteratively interpreting, defining, and refining the artifact and their process. We discuss the relationship between distributed critique and socio-technical systems and identify implications for future research.},
keywords = {Critique, Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Critique is an important component of creative work in design education and practice, through which individuals can solicit advice and obtain feedback on their work. Face-to-face critique in offline settings such as design studios has been well-documented and theorized. However, little is known about unstructured distributed critique in online creative communities where people share and critique each other’s work, and how these practices might resemble or differ from studio critique. In this paper, we use mixed-methods to examine distributed critique practices in a UX-focused online creative community on Reddit. We found that distributed critique resembles studio critique categorically, but differs qualitatively. While studio critique often focuses on depth, distributed critique often revolved around collective sensemaking, through which creative workers engaged in iteratively interpreting, defining, and refining the artifact and their process. We discuss the relationship between distributed critique and socio-technical systems and identify implications for future research.
2016
Gray, Colin M
It's More of a Mindset Than a Method: UX Practitioners' Conception of Design Methods Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 4044–4055, ACM, Santa Clara, California, USA, 2016, ISBN: 9781450333627.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2016-pa,
title = {It's More of a Mindset Than a Method: UX Practitioners' Conception of Design Methods},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2858036.2858410},
doi = {10.1145/2858036.2858410},
isbn = {9781450333627},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems},
pages = {4044--4055},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Santa Clara, California, USA},
abstract = {There has been increasing interest in the work practices
of user experience (UX) designers, particularly in
relation to approaches that support adoption of
human-centered principles in corporate environments. This
paper addresses the ways in which UX designers conceive of
methods that support their practice, and the methods they
consider necessary as a baseline competency for beginning
user experience designers. Interviews were conducted with
practitioners in a range of companies, with differing
levels of expertise and educational backgrounds
represented. Interviewees were asked about their use of
design methods in practice, and the methods they
considered to be core of their practice; in addition, they
were asked what set of methods would be vital for
beginning designers joining their company. Based on these
interviews, I evaluate practitioner conceptions of design
methods, proposing an appropriation-oriented mindset that
drives the use of tool knowledge, supporting designers'
practice in a variety of corporate contexts. Opportunities
are considered for future research in the study of UX
practice and training of students in human-computer
interaction programs.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Practice-Led Research, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
There has been increasing interest in the work practices
of user experience (UX) designers, particularly in
relation to approaches that support adoption of
human-centered principles in corporate environments. This
paper addresses the ways in which UX designers conceive of
methods that support their practice, and the methods they
consider necessary as a baseline competency for beginning
user experience designers. Interviews were conducted with
practitioners in a range of companies, with differing
levels of expertise and educational backgrounds
represented. Interviewees were asked about their use of
design methods in practice, and the methods they
considered to be core of their practice; in addition, they
were asked what set of methods would be vital for
beginning designers joining their company. Based on these
interviews, I evaluate practitioner conceptions of design
methods, proposing an appropriation-oriented mindset that
drives the use of tool knowledge, supporting designers'
practice in a variety of corporate contexts. Opportunities
are considered for future research in the study of UX
practice and training of students in human-computer
interaction programs.
of user experience (UX) designers, particularly in
relation to approaches that support adoption of
human-centered principles in corporate environments. This
paper addresses the ways in which UX designers conceive of
methods that support their practice, and the methods they
consider necessary as a baseline competency for beginning
user experience designers. Interviews were conducted with
practitioners in a range of companies, with differing
levels of expertise and educational backgrounds
represented. Interviewees were asked about their use of
design methods in practice, and the methods they
considered to be core of their practice; in addition, they
were asked what set of methods would be vital for
beginning designers joining their company. Based on these
interviews, I evaluate practitioner conceptions of design
methods, proposing an appropriation-oriented mindset that
drives the use of tool knowledge, supporting designers'
practice in a variety of corporate contexts. Opportunities
are considered for future research in the study of UX
practice and training of students in human-computer
interaction programs.
Gray, Colin M; Seifert, Colleen M; Yilmaz, Seda; Daly, Shanna R; Gonzalez, Richard
What is the Content of ''Design Thinking''? Design Heuristics as Conceptual Repertoire Journal Article
In: International Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 32, no. 3B, pp. 1349-1355, 2016.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Design Theory, Idea Generation
@article{Gray2016-lq,
title = {What is the Content of ''Design Thinking''? Design Heuristics as Conceptual Repertoire},
author = {Colin M Gray and Colleen M Seifert and Seda Yilmaz and Shanna R Daly and Richard Gonzalez},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2016_Grayetal_IJEE_DesignHeuristicsConceptualRepertoire.pdf
http://www.ijee.ie/latestissues/Vol32-3B/05_ijee3220ns.pdf},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Engineering Education},
volume = {32},
number = {3B},
pages = {1349-1355},
abstract = {When engaged in design activity, what does a designer think about? And how does she draw on disciplinary knowledge, precedent, and other strategies in her design process in order to imagine new possible futures? In this paper, we explore Design Heuristics as a form of intermediate-level knowledge that may explain how designers build on existing knowledge of ‘‘design moves’’—non-deterministic, generative strategies or heuristics—during conceptual design activity. We describe a set of relationships between disciplinary training and the acquisition of such heuristics, and postulate how design students might accelerate their development of expertise. We conclude with implications for future research on the development of expertise, and the ways in which methods such as Design Heuristics can enhance this developmental process.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Design Theory, Idea Generation},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
When engaged in design activity, what does a designer think about? And how does she draw on disciplinary knowledge, precedent, and other strategies in her design process in order to imagine new possible futures? In this paper, we explore Design Heuristics as a form of intermediate-level knowledge that may explain how designers build on existing knowledge of ‘‘design moves’’—non-deterministic, generative strategies or heuristics—during conceptual design activity. We describe a set of relationships between disciplinary training and the acquisition of such heuristics, and postulate how design students might accelerate their development of expertise. We conclude with implications for future research on the development of expertise, and the ways in which methods such as Design Heuristics can enhance this developmental process.
2015
Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; Gross, Shad
Flow of Competence in UX Design Practice Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 3285–3294, ACM, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2015, ISBN: 9781450331456, (Awarded Best of CHI Honorable Mention, top 5%).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, Translational Science, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2015-ma,
title = {Flow of Competence in UX Design Practice},
author = {Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Shad Gross},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2015_GrayToombsGross_CHI_FlowofCompetence.pdf
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2702123.2702579},
doi = {10.1145/2702123.2702579},
isbn = {9781450331456},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-04-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
pages = {3285--3294},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Seoul, Republic of Korea},
series = {CHI '15},
abstract = {UX and design culture are beginning to dominate corporate priorities, but despite the current hype there is often a dis- connect between the organizational efficiencies desired by executives and the knowledge of how UX can or should address these issues. This exploratory study addresses this space by reframing the concept of competence in UX to include the flow of competence between individual design- ers and the companies in which they work. Our reframing resulted in a preliminary schema based on interviews con- ducted with six design practitioners, which allows this flow to be traced in a performative way on the part of individuals and groups over time. We then trace this flow of individual and organizational competence through three case studies of UX adoption. Opportunities for use of this preliminary schema as a generative, rhetorical tool for HCI researchers to further interrogate UX adoption are considered, including accounting for factors that affect adoption.},
note = {Awarded Best of CHI Honorable Mention, top 5%},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Practice-Led Research, Translational Science, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
UX and design culture are beginning to dominate corporate priorities, but despite the current hype there is often a dis- connect between the organizational efficiencies desired by executives and the knowledge of how UX can or should address these issues. This exploratory study addresses this space by reframing the concept of competence in UX to include the flow of competence between individual design- ers and the companies in which they work. Our reframing resulted in a preliminary schema based on interviews con- ducted with six design practitioners, which allows this flow to be traced in a performative way on the part of individuals and groups over time. We then trace this flow of individual and organizational competence through three case studies of UX adoption. Opportunities for use of this preliminary schema as a generative, rhetorical tool for HCI researchers to further interrogate UX adoption are considered, including accounting for factors that affect adoption.
Boling, Elizabeth; Gray, Colin M
Designerly Tools, Sketching, and Instructional Designers and the Guarantors of Design Book Chapter
In: Hokanson, Brad; Clinton, Gregory; Tracey, Monica W (Ed.): The Design of Learning Experience: Creating the Future of Educational Technology, pp. 109-126, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2015, ISBN: 9783319165042.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Instructional Design
@inbook{Boling2015-cu,
title = {Designerly Tools, Sketching, and Instructional Designers and the Guarantors of Design},
author = {Elizabeth Boling and Colin M Gray},
editor = {Brad Hokanson and Gregory Clinton and Monica W Tracey},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2015_BolingGray_LearningExperiences_DesignerlyToolsSketchingID.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16504-2_8},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-16504-2_8},
isbn = {9783319165042},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
booktitle = {The Design of Learning Experience: Creating the Future of Educational Technology},
pages = {109-126},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Sketching can be a means to visualize learning objects and experiences differently than is possible in text-based representations. In particular, the experien- tial qualities of designed experiences can be explored using sketching as a tool and may not be accessible to designers via other means. If designers are to assume appropriate responsibility for our designs, to be the guarantors of design, our toolkit must expand. Examples are given of the ways in which sketching, as a flexible skill, may be used to represent designs for learning, together with discussion of how instructional designers would need to be able to think about these sketches in order to use them as tools.},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Ethics and Values, Instructional Design},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
Sketching can be a means to visualize learning objects and experiences differently than is possible in text-based representations. In particular, the experien- tial qualities of designed experiences can be explored using sketching as a tool and may not be accessible to designers via other means. If designers are to assume appropriate responsibility for our designs, to be the guarantors of design, our toolkit must expand. Examples are given of the ways in which sketching, as a flexible skill, may be used to represent designs for learning, together with discussion of how instructional designers would need to be able to think about these sketches in order to use them as tools.
2014
Gray, Colin M; Stolterman, Erik; Siegel, Martin A
Reprioritizing the relationship between HCI research and practice: bubble-up and trickle-down effects Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, pp. 725-734, ACM, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2014, ISBN: 9781450329026, (Awarded Best Paper, Top 1%).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Translational Science, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2014-fk,
title = {Reprioritizing the relationship between HCI research and practice: bubble-up and trickle-down effects},
author = {Colin M Gray and Erik Stolterman and Martin A Siegel},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2014_GrayStoltermanSiegel_DIS_ReprioritizingRelationshipHCI.pdf
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2598510.2598595},
doi = {10.1145/2598510.2598595},
isbn = {9781450329026},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems},
pages = {725-734},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Vancouver, BC, Canada},
series = {DIS '14},
abstract = {There has been an ongoing conversation about the role and relationship of theory and practice in the HCI community. This paper explores this relationship privileging a practice perspective through a tentative model, which describes a “bubble-up” of ideas from practice to inform research and theory development, and an accompanying “trickle-down” of theory into practice. Interviews were conducted with interaction designers, which included a description of their use of design methods in practice, and their knowledge and use of two common design methods—affinity diagramming and the concept of affordance. Based on these interviews, potential relationships between theory and practice are ex- plored through this model. Disseminating agents already common in HCI practice are addressed as possible mecha- nisms for the research community to understand practice more completely. Opportunities for future research, based on the use of the tentative model in a generative way, are considered.},
note = {Awarded Best Paper, Top 1%},
keywords = {Design Knowledge, Design Methods, Translational Science, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
There has been an ongoing conversation about the role and relationship of theory and practice in the HCI community. This paper explores this relationship privileging a practice perspective through a tentative model, which describes a “bubble-up” of ideas from practice to inform research and theory development, and an accompanying “trickle-down” of theory into practice. Interviews were conducted with interaction designers, which included a description of their use of design methods in practice, and their knowledge and use of two common design methods—affinity diagramming and the concept of affordance. Based on these interviews, potential relationships between theory and practice are ex- plored through this model. Disseminating agents already common in HCI practice are addressed as possible mecha- nisms for the research community to understand practice more completely. Opportunities for future research, based on the use of the tentative model in a generative way, are considered.
Gray, Colin M
Evolution of design competence in UX practice Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 32nd annual ACM conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '14, pp. 1645-1654, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2014, ISBN: 9781450324731.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: competence, design capability, Design Education, Design Knowledge, expertise, identity, Practice-Led Research, ux practice, UX Knowledge
@inproceedings{Gray2014-dl,
title = {Evolution of design competence in UX practice},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2014_Gray_CHI_EvolutionofDesignCompetence.pdf
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2556288.2557264},
doi = {10.1145/2556288.2557264},
isbn = {9781450324731},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 32nd annual ACM conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '14},
pages = {1645-1654},
address = {Toronto, Ontario, Canada},
series = {CHI '14},
abstract = {There has been increasing interest in the adoption of UX within corporate environments, and what competencies translate into effective UX design. This paper addresses the space between pedagogy and UX practice through the lens of competence, with the goal of understanding how students are initiated into the practice community, how their perception of competence shifts over time, and what factors influence this shift. A 12-week longitudinal data collection, including surveys and interviews, documents this shift, with participants beginning internships and full-time positions in UX. Students and early professionals were asked to assess their level of competence and factors that influenced competence. A co-construction of identity between the designer and their environment is proposed, with a variety of factors relating to tool and representational knowledge, complexity, and corporate culture influencing perceptions of competence in UX over time. Opportunities for future research, particularly in building an understanding of competency in UX based on this preliminary framing of early UX practice are addressed.},
keywords = {competence, design capability, Design Education, Design Knowledge, expertise, identity, Practice-Led Research, ux practice, UX Knowledge},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
There has been increasing interest in the adoption of UX within corporate environments, and what competencies translate into effective UX design. This paper addresses the space between pedagogy and UX practice through the lens of competence, with the goal of understanding how students are initiated into the practice community, how their perception of competence shifts over time, and what factors influence this shift. A 12-week longitudinal data collection, including surveys and interviews, documents this shift, with participants beginning internships and full-time positions in UX. Students and early professionals were asked to assess their level of competence and factors that influenced competence. A co-construction of identity between the designer and their environment is proposed, with a variety of factors relating to tool and representational knowledge, complexity, and corporate culture influencing perceptions of competence in UX over time. Opportunities for future research, particularly in building an understanding of competency in UX based on this preliminary framing of early UX practice are addressed.