Repositioning HCI

The success or failure of HCI in an industrial setting is as much to do with its positioning in the organization as the maturity, applicability and acceptability of its methods. Positioning has a great effect on who talks to whom, and what power and influence relationships exist. To achieve a more user-centered design process, it is essential to achieve an organizational positioning outside software engineering. Under management that is concerned more with product rather than code, user and customer centered design can flourish. This positioning also brings rewards that emerge from new reciprocal power and influence relationships. Collaborative relationships with corporate designers and technical writers benefit the software user interface through professional graphics, consistent branding and clear prose. Studies with marketers using shared expertise and techniques lead to a better understanding of customer/market profile information. These new interactions lead to a broadening of the HCI role with a focus on the total user experience with the product, not just the software.