From UI to UX: Building Ethnographic Praxis in a Usability Engineering Culture

Abstract

In this never before shared case study, we explain how our UX research team increased its scope of work from surface‐level UI issues to a full portfolio of user‐centered research. We use organizational ethnography and organizational change literature to develop a three phase model of research team growth. We then discuss the implications of our model for strengthening ethnographic praxis in cultures dominated by usability engineering. We conclude with a reflection on building internal bridges to facilitate change. Keywords: organizational change, UI, UX, research, ethnography, usability, lean.