More than XP. More than one day.

Are agile methods defence mechanisms for developers? Do interaction designers spend far to long interviewing users when coding would eventually give more solid results? How can usability feedback get quickly integrated into builds?

In this session, Stephanie Chamberlain and Helen Sharp will explore the knotty problem of integrating the User-Centred design methodology with Scrum and XP. The presentation centres on a study of 3 project teams within a large media organisation and then focus on some practical solutions.

The session will centre on the following questions:

What issues do teams face during this integration? What do developers think of UCD and what do interaction designers think of Agile methods?

These questions will be scrutinised with regard to:

• The onsite customer role
• The role of the users and user representatives
• The need for “upfront design” Vs “code is king”
• Team dynamics - is there always a “fight” between UCD practitioners and developers practicing scrum and XP?

Techniques for integration will be put forward using practical examples and video footage. The audience will be encouraged to relay their own experiences with the aim of providing all participants with practical ways of dealing with the UCD/Agile integration on projects.