Increasing the UX maturity level of clients: A study of best practices in an agile environment

Abstract

While multiple studies have attempted to define and measure User Experience (UX) Maturity — i.e., how familiar organizations are with UX concepts or strategies— more practice-based insight is needed to examine how UX practitioners maneuver in their relationships with low UX Maturity organizations and help these clients become more ‘UX Mature’. This study evaluates how UX practitioners work with low UX Maturity clients, what obstacles they face, and how they cope with these obstacles. From these insights, a set of best practices are identified for UX practitioners who work with low UX Maturity clients and wish to increase their clients’ UX maturity in an agile environment. These best practices were collected in the form of case studies, involving a total of 20 case studies based on interviews with 22 UX practitioners. The case studies reflect on past projects that were conducted for clients with a low UX Maturity level. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory approach combined with elements of a thematic analysis. The results help to identify frequently experienced obstacles in working with low UX Maturity organizations, as well as six best practices for increasing the UX Maturity of these clients. The study results demonstrate that UX practitioners indeed fulfill a significant role in overcoming organizational UX boundaries. A Low UX Maturity Best Practice model was developed, which summarizes how UX practitioners can optimize their impact in working with low UX Maturity clients, while simultaneously contributing to a more user-centered focus on the part of their clients.