Collaborative Events and Shared Artefacts Agile Interaction Designers and Developers Working Toward Common Aims Judith Brown Gitte Lindgaard, Robert Biddle Department of Psychology and School of Computer Science, Carleton University, Canada
Interaction Designers on Agile Teams • Agile teams are increasingly multidisciplinary • Problem – Multidisciplinary collaborations are not taught – Result: culture clashes, miscommunications • Research Questions – How do successful collaborations occur in real agile teams? – What purposes do these collaborations serve? – How can these collaborations be supported? • Research focus – The positive, effective, artefact-rich collaborations between the two team members whose task is to generate executable software, i.e. interaction designers and developers Judith Brown 2
Agile Teams in our Study Org Size Team Size Num Num Product Market Process Des. Dev. 40 7 6 1 Learning games Canada- Agile wide techniques 15,000 11 2 5 Network service Global Scrum configuration Software 1,000 4 1 3 Consumer Canada- XP calculator wide 1,000+ > 5 3 > 3 Business analyst’s Global Scrum tool Observation period: 85 days • 18/85 days observing • 11 interviews, 368 photos, 7 videos Judith Brown 3
Tensions in Designer-Developer Interactions are Inevitable 1. An implementable design is a necessity for a successful outcome, therefore designer-developer work is intertwined 2. The control of the user interface design terrain seems like the designer’s role, but … 3. The control of the user interface implementation terrain seems like the developer’s role, but … 4. A unified process for creating software is not easily arrived at 5. Communication through artefacts is problematic in both directions 6. Lack of knowledge and understanding of each other’s disciplines is common Judith Brown 4
Two Modes of Work Working Alone Collaborating Judith Brown 5
Three Types of Collaborations Impromptu Scheduled Work-related chats 6
Gap between Ideals and Reality Designers and developers will use all three means to collaborate, if able. How do – the physical attributes – or the systemic rules (overt or implicit) of your workplace facilitate or impede these three types of collaborations? Judith Brown 7
What happens when interaction designers and developers collaborate? Collaborations Observed by Type Org A Org B Org C % Scheduled 8 5 7 Des + Dev 7 3 6 80% Planning 0 0 3 19% Alignment 7 3 3 81% Impromptu 0 11 5 Des + Dev n/a 4 1 31% Planning n/a 0 0 0% Alignment n/a 4 1 100% Work-Related Chat 0 28 11 Des + Dev n/a 13 5 46% Planning n/a 0 0 0% Alignment n/a 13 5 100% 8
Opening the Collaborative Event A model of collaborative events: Presenting Simulating not disorderly or Assessing the Project Exploring chaotic, Enacting but a series of common steps Winding down resuming Closing the Collaborative Event Judith Brown 9
Opening the Collaborative Event Alignment Presenting work is Simulating Assessing pervasive in the Project Exploring all steps Enacting Winding down resuming PROJECT-level Closing the alignment work Collaborative Event PRODUCT-level alignment work Judith Brown 10
Alignment of Project and Product Aims Complexity Complexity Authenticity Authenticity User ability/ needs User ability/ needs Playability Playability Usability Usability ‘ Gameiness ’ ‘ Gameiness ’ Learning Learning ‘ implementability ’ ‘ implementability ’ Fun factor Fun factor Client Client Workload/profitability Workload/profitability requirements requirements Ability to integrate Ability to integrate content, code, art, content, code, art, graphics graphics Judith Brown 11
Artefacts • Tools used to advance joint work • Support planning and alignment work • Ubiquitous in the workplace • The same types of artefacts were used in all workplaces we observed • Artefacts support the achievement of aims In one two-hour meeting, with 3 designers and a developer, 150 artefacts were used Judith Brown 12
Artefacts: Audible, Visible or Experiential Let’s organize all the buttons in an array. If our doctors see all relevant conditions they’ll be overwhelmed. They need to be able to see a subset. Judith Brown 13
4 most commonly found artefact types Exercise: Recall one artefact of each type used to collaborate in your workplace as we go through the following 12 slides … Judith Brown 14
Design Idea suggestions for evolving the interface or application We need a We’re going We should new type to have to model it the called the remove this way the “Are you facilitator consumer feeling idea [from would expect lucky” type. the game]. it to be. Negative Constraining Positive Judith Brown 15
Design Question a potentially challenging inquiry about the interface or application You’re teaching [our Is [keeping track of users] to tie actions everything] part of to employees, is the game? that [what we want]? Judith Brown 16
Interface Proxy represents look, feel, navigation or flow of the future software A sketch of two linked web pages. A powerpoint deck conveys look and feel A screen shot of a developer-built game widget A drawing of the user interface.
Interface Proxy (cont.) 1 2 3 A designer presents three paper sketches of the UI design and his rationale Judith Brown 18
Story a narrative that binds together a character, action, and setting So let’s say I’m at the So if your very beginning of the [software] game and I’m going to manager select the create managed button … more than one object Story card type, then …. Human actor Software actor A dramatic enactment of a game Stories in tabular form
There are fewer of these next 8 artefact types (Fewer does not mean less important) Judith Brown 20
Computational Proxy a stand-in for the computational back end of an application Which variables to use in What are the steps in our Exactly how should our game? computation? the back end compute the final value for these cases? Judith Brown 21
Context Proxy provides access to the product environment (when, where, how and by who the product will be used) a textual description a depiction of a work context Judith Brown 22
Context Proxy (cont.) provides access to the product environment Previous versions of the software with The context of the users’ experiences life-like data in purpose-built labs were can be identified through site visits, used by designers and developers to which becomes the topic of understand contextual issues. discussions. 23
Exemplar another artefact that is like the software being designed in some way Windowing mechanism like in Like tech trees in Civilization Eclipse Standardized designs for common Like the previous non-web tasks like searching version of the product 24
Framework a digital artefact that supports the development of other software A UI framework A set of HTML templates for web pages A CSS stylesheet an API
Model knowledge of a thing, a process or a representation of such A model of learning A model of flow A software model Judith Brown 26
Plan a statement about intended future work Judith Brown 27
Software under development an intermediate version of the software A functional prototype treated as though it was the software under development Judith Brown 28
Stipulation a comprehensive description of something Requirements, detailed An XML specification for designs, or content a game documents Judith Brown 29
Opening the Collaborative Event Product triggers or project tension Ideas Addressing the tension Steps and Artefacts Presenting generates Simulating organize Stories Assessing uses the Project Exploring raises or resolves Enacting Project Product Proxy or Tensions Computational Proxy Winding down resume organizes generates Plans Closing the uses Context clarifies Collabor- Ideas Proxy Elements of ative the Context event Proxy 30
Takeaways • The agile team: a system of people, things, events • Designer-developer interactions: an essential aspect of this system because their joint work produces well- designed executable software • Common steps: for planning and aligning joint work • Project and product alignment work is pervasive in all collaborative events • Optimal work conditions support scheduled and impromptu collaborations and work-related chats • Improving the quality of the artefacts has the potential to improve collaborative processes and ensure aims are achieved Judith Brown 31
Collaborative Events and Shared Artefacts Agile Interaction Designers and Developers Working Toward Common Aims Judith Brown: mmjbrown@gmail.com Gitte Lindgaard, Robert Biddle Department of Psychology and School of Computer Science, Carleton University, Canada
Backup Slides Judith Brown 33
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