Logo image
Back
Identifying the Barriers to Human-Centered Design in the Workplace: Perspectives from UX Professionals
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Identifying the Barriers to Human-Centered Design in the Workplace: Perspectives from UX Professionals

Tim Gorichanaz
Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction, v 9(2), pp 1-25
02 May 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3711008
Featured in Collection :   Research Supported by Drexel Libraries' OA Programs
url
https://doi.org/10.1145/3711008View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access via Drexel Libraries Read and Publish Program 2025CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Collaborative and social computing Computing occupations Computing profession Empirical studies in collaborative and social computing Empirical studies in interaction design Human-centered computing Interaction design Interaction design process and methods Professional topics Social and professional topics User centered design
Human-centered design, a theoretical ideal, is sometimes compromised in industry practice. Technology firms juggle competing priorities, such as adopting new technologies and generating shareholder returns, which may conflict with human-centered design values. This study sought to identify the types of workplace situations that present barriers for human-centered design, going beyond the views and behaviors of individual professionals. Q methodology was used to analyze the experiences of 14 UX professionals based in the United States. Five factors were identified, representing workplace situations in which human-centered design is inhibited, despite the involvement of UX professionals: Single-Minded Arrogance, Competing Visions, Moving Fast and Breaking Things, Pragmatically Getting By, and Sidestepping Responsibility. Underpinning these five factors are the dimensions of speed and clarity of vision. This paper demonstrates connections between the literature on UX ethics and human-centered design practice, and its findings point toward opportunities for education and intervention to better enable human-centered and ethical design in practice.

Metrics

3 Record Views

Details

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Computer Science, Cybernetics
Computer Science, Information Systems
Logo image