UX Practitioners Crash Course in Agile Development at UPA 2008

This experiential workshop offers an interaction design-centric crash course in Agile Software Development. After reviewing the essential roles and practices found in a typical Agile project, participants will be immersed in a simulation that lets them experience Agile development first hand. Armed with a strong understanding of the Agile development lifecycle, we’ll explore the challenges with incorporating an effective design process. We’ll review several of the process patterns and best practices that have emerged in successful Agile-IxD organizations over the past years.

As Agile Software Development continues to grow in popularity, many designers find themselves participants in an Agile process without sufficient guidance. In many cases, Agile development was adopted by the organization without a good understanding of how it would change the designer’;s role, and day-to-day work. In the worst of cases user research, interaction design, and usability practices are set aside.In ideal Agile development, each organization tailors their Agile process in a way that best fits their culture, people, and product context. You’ll leave this workshop with essential vocabulary, process understanding, and ideas to effectively help your organization tailor an Agile process that doesn’t make a strong design practice an afterthought.