Agile Process and User Centered Design, the Fighting Siblings of Software Development
Agile Process and User Centered Design, the Fighting Siblings of Software Development
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Home Page > Computers > Software > Agile Process and User Centered Design, the Fighting Siblings of Software Development
Agile Process and User Centered Design, the Fighting Siblings of Software Development
Posted: May 23, 2011 |Comments: 0
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When it comes to software development in recent years, there has been a famous battle rising from among the siblings of software development, Agile Process and User Centered Design (UCD). There is a growing argument that Agile Process UCD, the combination of the two forms of software development, is the best and most effective process. However, the flip side of the argument is that agile process and user centered design have not been able to exist in unison—until now. With the introduction of usability testing, companies can see the results of user-centered design quickly. Before deciding which process is the best process, or if the introduction of usability testing and usability testing software has solved the battle between the two, it is important to understand each process and how they interact.
Agile Process and User Centered Design: The Differences
Knowing the goals and differences of both software design processes is crucial to understanding how they might function in unison. The primary goal of agile software design is to quickly and effectively produce useful, functional software, while placing the product at the center. UCD’s primary goal is to understand people’s needs and in turn create useful, functional software, regardless of time, while placing the customer at the center. The sibling rivalry comes into play because each process places something different at the center of their focus. User centered design, also known as human-centered design, provides a more effective method of understanding the user, while agile allows developers more fluidity with building, testing, delivering, and revising software quickly and effectively.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Agile Process and User Centered Design
One of the strength of the agile process is its repetitive development sequences. Because agile is a high-paced development process and is always one step ahead of its own feet, demanding agile to focus on the person—who is not their primal focus—is similar to throwing a screwdriver into quickly turning gears. Where agile succeeds at being advanced and one step ahead of the crowd, it fails when it comes to personalization simply due to limited time constraints. Agile process is known for jumping the gun by writing code as early as possible and providing working software as frequently as possible—showing their impatience. Similarly, the strength of UCD is in fact the user aspect of the design. UCD products are extremely user friendly, but they fail at speed production. User centered design is known for taking too long to get ready and therefore producing high-quality software at extended and infrequent intervals.
Agile Process UCD: The Combination of Agile Process and User Centered Design
Agile Process UCD software development is all about collaboration. The collaboration of the two siblings, working hand-in-hand, forces the person and the product to be represented equally at the center. With the introduction of hosted prototype usability testing, customers can get user feedback in as little as 24 hours through online focus groups and user interface prototyping. Companies can put a prototype, wireframe and/or design online and receive feedback from real people quickly and inexpensively. This process allows companies to receive feedback throughout the development process and incorporate the information into their agile process. Usability testing through online focus groups and user interface prototyping are positive experiences for agile process and user-centered design because they allow user-centered design to receive feedback quickly and speed up the process.
Regardless of the process of software development used by a company, agile process, user centered design and agile process UCD, are all software development processes that have benefits and pitfalls. However, with the introduction of usability testing, and usability testing software, the sibling rivalry between agile process and use centered design appears mute. Usability testing speeds up the user center design process and allows appropriate time for the somewhat patiently waiting agile process. The introduction of usability testing helps aid in the creation of one effective form of software development that focuses on the project and the person equally and adequately. Learn more about usability testing and see how it breaks the mold of software design.
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