Tensions in Students’ Design Philosophy in UX Practice
Abstract
The studio model of education incorporated in to many design-oriented HCI programs within the past two decades commonly brings a number of central objectives to the programs implementing such a model. The first of two notable objectives include the building of a “bridge” between pedagogy and practice, preparing students for the difference in realities between working within an academic setting, and the varying constraints imposed within an organizational setting. Additionally, the bridge often encourages the development of a student’s design philosophy, allowing them to acknowledge and understand their conceptions towards design which influence their decisions in situated project-processes, and in the projected design communities they might navigate towards in professional practice. While UX and design culture are continually increasing in presence within organizational settings, disconnects still remain between the beliefs of practitioners and organizations as to how UX might be best implemented, particularly for students entering professional practice with “blue sky” conceptions for how design might be practiced. This exploratory study addresses the dimensions of design philosophy espoused by students educated within design-oriented HCI programs, and how such philosophies are engaged and shaped further in professional practice. Through a qualitative interview approach, this study presents 9 dimensions of design philosophy alluded to through the accounts of 10 students and practitioners, reflecting upon their experience in education and professional practice. Leveraging existing work studying the flow of UX competence between an individual practitioner and the organization within which they practice, the discussion of the 9 dimensions of design philosophy presented provides four different ways in which the philosophies of practitioners might encounter tensions in professional practice. This research proposes future work on how the studio model of education in HCI pedagogy might more adequately prepare students for the realities of enacting their philosophies in practice, and also further consciously reflecting upon the shaping of that philosophy through felt contrasts between both education and practice. Additionally, the 9 themes encapsulating dimensions of one’s design philosophy display such a lack of uniformity (both in their presence amongst accounts given and strength in which they are espoused), warranting further investigation in to each in their own right.
Degree
M.Sc.
Advisors
Gray, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Design
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.