Usability Specialists – ‘A Mommy Mob’, ‘Realistic Humanists’ or ‘Staid Researchers’? An Analysis of Usability Work in the Software Product Development

Abstract

Users should be involved in the interactive systems development. However, involving users is difficult and rare, especially in the product development context. Guidelines for the facilitation of user involvement have been produced. However, a critical review shows that the guidelines rely on naive notions of people and change in organizations. In this paper an interpretive research approach is utilized in the analysis user involvement in software development organizations operating in the product development context. User involvement is indirect in the organizations, and labelled as usability work. Usability specialists are conceptualized as a specific community of practice, usability work being their practice. Analysis reveals divergent ways usability work has been organized in the organizations, and divergent meanings attached to usability work. Both practical and theoretical implications are discussed.