Coordination support for integrating user centered design in distributed agile projects

Agile process and User Centered Design (UCD) approach are two fields with high beneficial opportunities when integrated together. Both are based on minimal design up front and frequent feedback from users, and both are human-centered. However, one of the main concerns in integrating them is how to coordinate the work properly specially in distributed projects. The traditional methods used (e.g. video conferencing) do not provide full support to involve the UX-designers during the daily project activities. UX-designers may struggle to know if their design is technically applicable which makes it necessary for developers to review the designs from their perspective. Similarly, developers need instant answers from UX-designers during and after developing the work items. Furthermore, the review of thirty agile management tools that support the integration of UCD into agile projects, reveals a lack of computer-based support for the development teams and UX-design teams. This paper aims to identify the situations in which UX-designers and developers require proper coordination mechanisms. This research identified 14 UCD-related activities that require further coordination support. A questionnaire was conducted for the evaluation. The results show that the integration of UCD activities in distributed agile environments still needs coordination especially between the UX-design team and the development team. The result is important because it can help in overcoming the limitations of the informal and formal approaches, support managing the UCD activities in distributed agile environments and facilitating the coordination of the work between developers and UX-designers.