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AnUneasyTruce:NavigatingInterdisciplinaryCollaborationintheSoftwareIndustry

NatalieD.Hanson

Abstract

Overthepastfewdecades,muchhasbeenwrittenaboutthewaysinwhichprojectteamsbringtechnologiestomarket.Inthiscontext,socialscientiststypicallypartnerwithspecializeddesignerstobringtheirresearchandnewconceptstolifeinawaythatisconsumablebyavarietyofteammembers,includingengineersanddatascientists.Thispaperexploresonesuchcollaboration,anddescribesthechallengingconditionsthatteammembersface—bothintheirworkcontextandwiththeirpeers—inimaginingandbuildingacommerciallyviablesoftwareproduct.

Keywords

design,collaboration,teamwork,softwaredevelopment,interdisciplinary

Introduction

Howcanresearchersanddesignersinjecthumanityintotheworkwhenthevastmajorityoftheteamistechnical,andthecomplexityofinnovativenewtechnologiesisall-consumingforthem?Thiscasestudy

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focusesonthechallengesofworkingacrossdisciplinaryboundaries,inthecasewhenverydeepsophisticationisrequiredineachdisciplineinordertoexecute,butthereisnotnecessarilythedesiretounderstandandfullyengageacrossdisciplinaryboundaries.

Beforediggingintothestory,however,itisimportanttoprovidesomecontext,asthesoftwareindustryisacontextwithdifferentroles,processes,pressures,andadiscoursethatshapestheinteractionsofthoseworkinginthisspace.

Thehightechindustry—bothhardwareandsoftware—ischaracterizedbychange.ThepastfifteenyearshasseenashiftfromWaterfalltoAgilesoftwaredevelopmentmethods,agrowingfocusonmobile,ashiftfromon-premisetocloudcomputing,excitementaroundresponsivedesign,andmuchmore.Infact,therearesomanyofthesetransitionstobeweatheredthattheanalystfirmGartnerissuesanannualHypeCyclereport,indicatingwhichtechnologiesshowcommercialpromiseorareapproachingmainstreamacceptanceanduse.Gartnerseekstoeducatedecision-makers,andultimatelyinformscorporateinvestmentsinthisrapidlyevolvingtechnologyecosystem.

Todaythereareanumberoffactorsthatcharacterizeworkinthesoftwareindustry–(1)uniqueroles,includingspecializedresearchanddesignskills;(2)Agilewaysofworkingthatchallengetraditionalengagementmodels;and(3)asingularfocusoninnovation.Inaddition,emergentcapabilitiessuchas(4)bigdatacombinedwithartificialintelligencerequireteamstoadapttheirwaysofworkinginordertobeeffective.Thesethemesformthebackdropforthecasestudy.Theyaresummarizedbrieflybelow.

UniqueRoles

Forthoseteamsengagedinimagining,designingandbuildingsoftware,thereareanumberofdifferentdesignroles.AnExperienceDesignermightberesponsibleforworkingwitharesearchertoevaluatewhatkindoftechnologysolutionmakessenseinthecontextofthelifeofthatconsumerorpatient.AnInteractionDesignermightworkwithanInformationArchitecttocreateappropriatenavigationandcompelling,usabledesignsforthatsolution.Finally,aVisualDesignerwouldultimatelybefocusedonensuringthesolutionisvisuallycompelling,polished,andalignedwiththebrand.

Typically,themostexperiencedUserExperienceprofessionalsworkontheearly,messysolutiondefinition.Onceacertainamountofclarityhasbeenachieved,workistransitionedtoaninteractiondesigner.Althoughvisualdesignerscanbeexperiencedandincrediblytalentedintheadvertisingorprintspace,inthesoftwareindustrythesetypesofdesignersoftenhaveajuniororsubordinaterolebecausetheydon’t

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typicallyhavetraininginunderstandingpeopleorhuman-centereddesignmethods.

Dependingonthenatureoftheworkorthecompositionoftheteamortheskillsavailableforaparticularengagement,aresearcherinthesoftwareindustrymighthaveabackgroundinanthropologyorsociology,cognitivepsychology,humanfactorsengineering,human-computerinteraction,orsimplyindesign.

Insmallteamstheseactivitiesmaybedonebythesamefewpeople,whoseresponsibilitiesshiftastheproductgetsclosertomarket.Thiscombinationofskills(bothresearchanddesign)isoftensimplyreferredtoasUserExperience(UX).However,theactualskillsavailablewithinanygiventeammayvarysignificantlydependingontraining,experience,thesizeandmaturityoftheteam,andofcoursethebroaderorganization’scultureandgoals.

Duetostaffinggaps(andperhapsalsoduetoalackofappreciationofformalresearchtraining),thereareanumberofnewrolesemergingwhichemphasizetheroleofdesignattheexpenseofresearch.Historically,UXskillshaverangedfromformalresearchtointeractiondesigntofront-enddevelopment.Somedesignerswouldgravitatetowardsadeeperunderstandingoftechnology,andotherswouldgravitatetowantingtounderstandpeople.Thecompositionofeachteamcouldvaryforavarietyofreasons.

However,recentyearshaveseentheemergenceoftwonewroles—DesignResearcherandProductDesigner.ADesignResearcherlikelyhastheirprimarytraininginadesignschoolorprogram,withsomefocusonresearchmethods.Thisisincontrasttoaresearcherwhomighthavestudiedhumanfactorsengineeringoranthropologyataschoolspecializinginthosetopics.TheProductDesigner(acombinationofProductManagerandDesigner)isthedesignfield’sresponseto‘gettingaseatatthetable’.Inthistypeofrole,thedesignerbeginstoassumemorestrategicresponsibilitiessuchasthoseofaproductmanager.Therearesignificantbenefits,ofcourse,tohavingsomeonewithauser-centeredmindsettakingmoreresponsibilityforproductdirection.However,thefocusonbusinesstopicsinevitablydiminishesthetimeandcapacityforthehands-onworkofuser-centereddesign.

Theserolesseemtoemergeforafewreasons.ThefirstisthatUXprofessionalswanttoplayamorestrategicroleintheproductstheyareworkingon.Second,thenumerousrolesintheseteamsleadtoalotofcoordination.Mergingrolesmeansfewertouchpoints,lesscomplexity,andlikelymorespeedforallinvolved.Finally,theimpossiblegap(inthemillions)betweencurrentdemandandavailable,qualifieddesigntalentrequiresthestreamliningofdesignworkandstaffing.Givenhowfewteammembersaretrulyfocusedontheend-usersinthefirstplace,thecollapsingofrolesbetweenresearchanddesignorbetweenproduct


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managementanddesignisafurthercompromisetostaffingratiosandafocusonend-users.Inaddition,specializedresearchskillsbecomeevenlessofapriority,infavorofdesign.Businessdecision-makerscurrentlyhaveadeeperunderstandingandappreciationofdesignthanofresearchspecialties,dueinparttothevisibilityofdesign-ledinnovationinthepopularpress.

Agile

Historically,softwaredevelopmentteamsworkedinamethodwenowcallWaterfall.Thatis,thebusinesscaseandrequirementscascadeddownfromseniormanagement,witheachteamcontributingtheirpiecebeforehandingitofftothenext.Itwasslow,and,likethegameoftelephone,alotwaslostintranslationbythetimetheproductwasreadytoship.

Agilesoftwaredevelopmentmethodswereintroducedin2001throughtheAgileManifesto.1InAgile,teamsavoidhandoffsthroughbeingco-located,collaboratingclosely,anditeratinguntilthedesiredoutcomeisachievedoranacceptablecompromiseisreached.ThecommitmenttoAgileshapestheworkcultureandpracticesinmanyways,itinformsrolesandrelationships,powerdynamics,rituals,andmore.Formoreonthis,seemychapterintheHandbookofBusinessAnthropology(Hanson,2014).

TherearesomeaspectsofAgilethathavecommongroundwithuserexperienceresearchmethods.Ofparticularnoteisthecommitmenttogetoutofthebuilding(GOOB)regularlytovalidateideas.However,theurgency,immediacy,andshortcyclesthatcharacterizeAgilecanmakeitchallengingforaresearchertoaddressresearchquestionsinsufficientdepth;bothresearchersanddesignersmustadapthowtheywork,especiallyoncetheregularworkcadenceoftheengineersisestablishedandunderway.

InnovationDiscourse

Inthesimplestterms,innovationissoughtbecausethereisthebeliefthatagreatideaorproductorserviceisgoingtomakealotofmoney,quickly.

InKarenHo'sresearchaboutWallStreet,shedescribesshiftsinthecapitalistsystem,andwhathappensascompaniesbecomevaluedasassetsinaportfolio,intendedtobeextractedforshareholdervalue.ThisabstractionservesWallStreetwell;thefocusisonquarterlyprofitsratherthanlong-termprosperityofthebusinessanditsemployees.However,thatshifthassignificantimplications.Forexample,theaveragelifespanofacorporationnowis15yearswhereitwas75yearsinthepast1http://agilemanifesto.org/


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(Ho2009,2016).Andsothissenseofurgencyandspeed,andthedesireto‘failfast’ispermeatingnotjusttechnologycompanies,butotherindustriesaswell.

Therearemanyconflictingopinionsaboutwhetherventurecapitalisprofitableornot.Someestimatessuggest75-90%ofventure-capitalbackedfirmsarenotprofitable,butthatthosethatareprofitablemakeupfortherest.Relatedtothisistheideaof‘first-moveradvantage’;technologyteamsneedtogettheirproducttomarketfirsttodefinethemarket,capturetheuserbaseandgrowrapidlybeforecompetitionispresent,and/ortoprovidethehighestpossiblechanceforacquisition(ifthatistheirobjective).However,whetherventurecapitalisprofitableandfirstmoveradvantageisrealisalmostirrelevanthere;theperceptionoftheneedforurgencyshapesboththediscourseandtheworkpracticesinthesoftwareindustry:

“Peoplewithdifferentlifestylesanddifferentbackgroundschallengeeachothermore.Diversitycreatesdissent,andyouneedthat.Withoutit,you’renotgoingtogetanydeepinquiryorbreakthroughs.”PaulBlock,CEO(Huntetal,2015)

Thereisagrowingbodyofresearchconfirmingthatinnovationworksbestwithdiversityofallkinds—ofthought/education,ofworldview,ofrace,gender,andoflifecircumstances.However,forthemostpart,thatisnotthecurrentrealityintechtoday,wherewhitemalespredominate.

Thisresearchontheimportanceofdiverseteamsisslowlymakingitswayintothebusinesssetting.TheshiftfromSTEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,andMath)toSTEAM2(Science,Technology,Engineering,ArtsandMath)isstillgroundedininnovationdiscourse,butinclusionoftheArtsbringsnewpointsofviewtobearontechnologyproblems.However,ifSTEMeducationdoesnotchangetoenticemorewomen,morepeopleofcolor,and/orindividualsfromavarietyofsocio-economiccircumstances,theevolutionsofthesoftwareindustrywillbeconstrainedbythelimitedsetofperspectivesthatshapeittoday.Asevidencedbynumerousarticlesinthepopularpress—from#gamergate(Hathaway2017)tosexualharassmentatUber(Fowler2017)—theindustryitselfneedstobemorewelcomingofwomenanddiversitymoregenerallybeforeSTEMeducationandjobsbecomedesirableforabroaderaudience.

Yet,thefactremainsthatdiverseteamsdelivermoreinnovativeoutcomes.Itmaywellbethatdesignersandanthropologistsbringnewideasandwaysofworkingpreciselybecausetheyaredifferent,andthosedifferencesextendbeyondtheirdisciplinarytraining.Iftheresearchfindingsthemselvesdonotdrivechangeeitherbecausetheyarenot

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convincingenoughornotdirectionallycorrectforwhateverreason,wemaynotbeabletobringourfindingstolife.Intheseteams,ourvaluemaybeinrepresentingotherwaysoflookingattheworld.However,theactofprovidingexposuretoandvisibilityintoanotherpointofviewstillhelpstodrivechangeandultimately,innovation.

BigDataandArtificialIntelligence

Inthetechnologyindustrytoday,anotherrelativelyrecentthemeisthefocuson‘bigdata’,andtheartificialintelligenceneededtoharnessitspotential.

Someofwhatisbeingwrittenatthemomentdescribesthedangersofartificialintelligence(AI),andthewaysitcanobscureordistorthowdecisionsgetmade.Forexample,CathyO’Neil’sbookWeaponsofMathDestruction:HowBigDataIncreasesInequalityandThreatensDemocracyandVirginiaEubanks’newbookAutomatingInequality:HowHigh-TechToolsProfile,Police,andPunishthePooreachprovidespecificandcompellingaccountsofthewaysinwhichalgorithmsarereinforcingdiscriminationofallkinds,andultimatelyincreasingthedigitaldivide.TheseconcernshavebeenfueledbymassmediareportingaboutRussiapayingfordivisiveadsonFacebook(Timberg2017,Shapiro2017),andtheensuingimpactonthemostrecentU.S.presidentialelection.

Asbigdatacameintopopularunderstandingthroughthemedia,qualitativesocialscientistsinitiallyexpressedconcernabouthowitmightimpacttheworkofethnographersinthefuture.Quickly,however,thetenorofthoseconversationshaschanged;therewasarealizationthatwehavealwaysworkedwithqualitativedata.Now,wehavetheopportunitynotonlytostudyitsproduction,consumption,anduse,butalsotouseitourselves.Itisincreasinglyimportanttogroundourconcernsinspecificindustries,specificexamples,andthebehaviorswithinprojectteams.Thesetechnologiesarenotgoingaway;themorequicklywecanstopcriticizingthemfromafar,thesoonerwecanmovetowardsanunderstandingofandcontributiontothisnewrealityinanethical,informed,andimpactfulway.

ElishandBoyd(2017:664)remindusthat“thecurrentsofhopeandfearoftenobscurethemorenuancedandsubtleshiftsthatareunderway”.Thedialoguewithinthesocialscienceshasbecomemuchmorethoughtfulandpragmaticabouthowtooperateinrelationtothisemergingtechnology.Churchill(2017)urgesustouseanethnographiclensto“makesenseofwhat’sintentionallyandartifactuallycollectedfrompeople’sinteractionswithdigitaldevicesandservices”,andKenAndersonandhisco-authors(2017)remindusofthebenefitsofbringingmultiplemethodstogether.Finally,inherpopularTEDtalk,sociologistTriciaWang(2017)remindsusthatbusinessconditionschangesofast


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thattheyaredifficulttomodeleffectivelyorexclusivelywithquantitativedata;thisopensupsignificantopportunitiesforimpactfulqualitativeresearch.

Ratherthanmakinggeneralstatementsaboutthesocialimpactofartificialintelligence,thegoalofthispaperistogetspecific.Whataretheindustrydrivers,thebusinessopportunities,andwheredoesthesenseofurgencycomefrom?Whyisthereadesiretoharnessthisgrowingbodyofdata,andwhydoesthatrequireartificialintelligence?Thispaperwillprovidesomevisibilityintohowoneprojectteamwasconstructed,forwhatpurpose,andthechallengestheyfacedindeliveringvaluableandhuman-centeredoutcomesagainstthiscomplexbackdrop.

LiteratureReview

Giventheimportanceofinnovationandthenewinthecapitalistsystem,itisnotsurprisingthataplethoraofbookshavebeenwrittenoninnovation;asearchon‘businessinnovation’onAmazonreturnsmorethanforty-thousandrecommendations.ThisincludestheclassicDiffusionofInnovations(Rogers1962,2003),ChangeMasters:Innovation&EntrepreneurshipintheAmericanCorporation(KanterMoss1983),TheInnovator’sDilemma(Christensen1997),andtextbookslikeManagingStrategicInnovationandChange(Tushman&Anderson1997).Manyoftheseseemtofocusatamacroorexecutiveleveloncreatingtherightconditionsforchangeintheworkcontext;fewaddresswhatindividualteamsorteammemberscando.

Sincethedot-comcrashintheearly1990s,momentumhasbeengrowinginpopularmanagementandtechnologyliteratureaboutfocusingonthecustomer.Thishasbeenagradualshiftawayfrombuildingtechnologyfortechnology’ssake,andrecognizingtheneedtoconsidertheneedsofcustomersearlyinthelifecycleofbuildingaproduct,service,orsolution.Inmanyways,RogerMartin’sDesignofBusiness:WhyDesignThinkingistheNextCompetitiveAdvantage(2009)ledtheway,fueledinpartbyarticlesaboutIDEO[define]andDesignThinkinginthepopularpress.ThegrowinginterestindesignthinkingwasintertwinedwiththemomentumaroundAgileandtheneedforcustomer-centricproductdevelopment.BookssuchasTheLeanStartup(Ries2011),LeanUX(Gothelf2013,2016),TheFourStepstotheEpiphany(Blank2007),andCustomersIncluded(HurstandTerry2013),allseektoaddresscreatingsomethingnewunderambiguousconditions.Muchofthismaterialassertsapointofviewandprovidesmethodologicalframeworks.However,itisworthnotingthatmanyoftheclassicbooksonAgileandtheScaledAgileFramework(SAFe)intendedforlargeenterprisesstillonlymentiontheUXdisciplineinpassing.InLeffingwell’smorethanfive-hundredpagebookonAgileSoftwareRequirements,whichiswrittenforatechnicalaudience,therearelessthanthreepagesdedicatedtofront-end


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development(2011:129-131)andnosubstantiveacknowledgementofUXresearchordesign.

Incontrast,theParticipatoryDesigntraditionemergedfromScandinaviainthe1970sandmadeitswaytotheUnitedStatesintheearly1990s(SchuylerandNamioka1993:xi).Thus,collaborationacrossdisciplineshasbeenthesubjectofdiscussioninanthropologyanddesignfieldsintheU.S.fornearlythirtyyears.Oneofthekeytenetsofthisseminalworkwastoensurethatpeoplewhowouldultimatelyengagewithnewprocessesandtoolswerepartoftheprocesstodesignthem;inNorwaythiswascalled‘industrialdemocracy’(Ehn1993:48).Inthatearlywork,forexample“EthnographicFieldMethodsandTheirRelationtoDesign”(Blomberg1993:123-155),understandinganddesignaredescribedastwoseparatesteps.Thefocusisonethnographicmethodsandthearticleemphasizesthewaysinwhichdesignerscanlearnfromresearchers.

Morerecentlytherehasbeenafocusoncreatingaunifiedteam,forexampleReconfiguringtheSocialScientist:ShiftingFromTellingDesignersWhattoDotoGettingMoreInvolved(Rogers1997).Rogersarguesthatsocialscientistshavehistoricallyattemptedtoimposetheirwaysofworkingonotherfieldssuchasengineeringanddesign,andthatthisapproachshowsa“lackofappreciation”(1997:58)fortheskillsandcomplexityinherentinthoseotherdisciplines.Rogersconcludesthatsocialscientistshaveanimportantroletoplayas“facilitators”inhelpingbothusersanddesigners“reconfiguretheirworkingpractices”.Similarly,Miller(2016)andFavret-Saada(1990,referencedinMcCabe,2017)recommendthatanthropologistscanserveasbrokers,eitherasanexplicitmemberoftheteamoroutsideofit;weareuniquelyqualifiedbecauseweseedimensionsofcultureacrossthosedisciplines.

Whilecompellinginsomerespects,theseconclusionsreflectanidealstatethatisnotgroundedinthepracticalrealityofhowindustrysoftwareteamsarecomposedtoday.Typicalteamsareledbyaproductowner;aresearcherwillhavearoletoplay,butnotacentraloneinshapingtheworkpracticesoftheprojectteamortheultimateend-user.PerhapssuchaconfigurationismorerealisticinanR&Doracademicorevenanappliedanthropologycontext,wheretheadditionofadvisoryresourcesisfinanciallyviable,pragmatic,orevenexpected.However,inmyexperienceinindustry,designersareintegratedinproductteamsand(inordertomaximizetheebbandflowoftheirwork)researchersworkacrossteams.Thus,theresearcherisnottheauthority,nordotheyprovidecontinuitythroughouttheproductlifecycle;inthesoftwareindustryoutsideofR&D,thatroleismorelikelyplayedbythedesigner.Inanidealcase,thedesignerwillhavedeeplyinternalizedbothresearchfindingsandkeyaspectsofrelevanthumanbehavior,astheresearcherwilllikelybeontheperipheryoftheteam,duetotheirobligationsacrossmultipleproducts.


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AreviewoftheliteraturebyChoi&Pak(2006)showsagrowingconsistencyintheterminologyusedtodescribeteamcomposition.Multidisciplinaryteamsworkside-by-side,sharingknowledgebutworkingindependently.Interdisciplinaryteamsestablish“anewlevelofdiscourseandintegrationofknowledge”.Finally,transdisciplinaryteamsare“recombinant”(2006:357)transcendingdisciplinaryboundariestoapproachproblemstogetherinnewways.Thesewaysofdescribingcollaborationalongacontinuumhavemadetheirwayintothefieldofanthropology.Miller(2016:45)articulatesthat“recognizingandacceptingthevalidityofdifferentknowledgecultures”isacriticalsuccessfactor,thussignalingashiftfromindividualexperttocollaborator.Intheintroductiontoherbookoncollaborativeethnography,McCabeusestermslike‘recombinantknowledge’and‘cognitiveconvergence’(2017:2)whichhintatthefantasticoutcomesthatoccurwhenteamsworktogethereffectively.Sincetheinceptionoftheanthrodesignlistservin2002therehavebeenagrowingnumberofbookswrittenaboutthecollaborationbetweenanthropologyanddesign(Hanson,2017),andtheEPICconference3hasalsoresultedinawealthofnewcontentalongtheselinesfromavarietyofrelateddisciplines.

However,withtheexceptionofresearchinthefieldofComputerSupportedCollaborativeWork(CSCW),itisunclearthatideasaboutthevalueandpotentialofinterdisciplinarityisaswidespreadinengineeringasithasbeenintheappliedsocialsciencesanddesign.Whathappenswhenmembersofateamhavedifferentunderstandingsanddesiresaboutthelevelofcollaborationthattheirsharedassignmentrequire?Basedonmorethanthirtyyearsofgroundinginparticipatorydesignconcepts,userexperienceteamsmaybeseekingadeeplyintegrated,transdisciplinaryexperience.Incontrast,technicalteamsmaybecontentwithamultidisciplinaryapproach—amoreinsularorsiloedengagement.Inaverypracticalsense,thesevariedexpectationsresultinagap—orinsomecasesagulf—betweentheaspirationsandexpectationsoftheUXteamandthoseoftheirtechnicalcolleagues.Forexample,UXteammemberswouldliketheirtechnicalteammatestobecuriousaboutresearchfindings,anddemonstratethatinterestbylisteninginonusabilitytestingsessionsorfindingsread-outs.Manyuserexperienceprofessionalsfindthemselvesdisappointedwhentheirdesireformutualunderstandinganddeepercollaborationacrossdisciplinaryboundariesisnotsharedbyallteammembers.

AsSawyerdescribesinhisbookGroupGenius,mostoftheliteraturedoesnotappeartobreakopenthatblackboxofcollaboration(2007:15).Howdoesithappenorfailtohappen?Herewearenotlookingataninstitutionallevel,butratheratthelevelofdailyinteractionsbetweenteammembers,especiallyacrossdisciplines.What

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canwelearnfromthosesituations?Ultimately,whatismissingintheliteratureisadetailedviewintotheconditionsthattheseteamsstrugglethrough.Thus,thepurposeofthiscasestudyistosharethehardrealityofcollaborationincommercialsoftwaredevelopmenttoday.Whathappenswhenateamhastodeliver,inspiteofnothavingmovedthroughthe‘storming’(Tuckman,1997)stage?Whathappenswhenthesocialscientistsanddesignersintheteamdesireadeepercollaboration,butthesameisnottrueofcounterpartsinotherdisciplines?Itismessy,uncomfortable,uneven,andmayremainunresolved.Sometimes(usuallybecauseteammembersarepassionateabouttheworkortheyseeitspotentialimpactontheircareers)outcomesareachievedinspiteofallthat,atapersonalcostforthosemostinvestedinachievinghuman-centeredoutcomes.

CaseStudy

Overview

Asaprojectteam,theinitialgoalwastobuilda‘proof-of-concept’(POC)toshowcaserepresentativefeaturesandtechnologiesofapotentialnewsoftwareproduct.Withsomesuccess,theteamwouldsecurefundingforalongertermeffort;thegoalwasultimatelytobuildlicensablesoftwarethatthecompanycouldselltoandconfigureforclients.TheprojectbroughttogetherasmallgroupofexpertstoconductaPOCforboththeexperienceandthetechnologies.TheteamfacedsignificantpressuretoshowvalueandimpactduringthePOC,sotheycouldreceivesupportandfundingtocontinuetheirwork.Thispaperdescribesanine-monthperiodbeginningwithUXresearchactivitiesinJanuaryandendswithaformalrequestforfundinginAugust.

Theteamwascomprisedofsub-teamsfromUX,business(domainexperts),technology,anddatascience.Workinginaprogrammanagementmodel,eachfunctionalareawasresponsibleforaworkstream,withatleastonefunctionalareainasupportingrole.Forexample,duringtheuserexperienceresearchanddesignwork,theprimarypointofcollaborationwaswiththebusinessworkstream.Thebusinessteamwasresponsibleforidentifyingrelevantandcompellingcontent.Inturn,theyworkedinclosecollaborationwiththedatascientists,whoidentifiedexistingandemergingdatasourcesandbegantocraftrelevantalgorithms.Foreachsub-team,therewerealsopartner-levelexecutivesinanoversightroleandtwotofiveadditionalteammemberstoexecutetheproject.

Whiletheeffortwaswell-sponsoredandthebusinessproblemwascompelling,theteamfacednumerouschallengesinworkingacrossdisciplinaryboundaries,includingbasicissuesofgeographicandtimezoneseparation(withteammembersincentralIndia,SanFrancisco,andChicago),anunderstandingoftheotherteammembers’workingstyle,


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andhowtobuildonotherteammembers’deliverables.Notsurprisingly,thefirstmilestonestranspiredwhiletheteamwasstillinthe‘storming’(Tuckman1977)phase.

TheBusinessProblem

Theprojectteamwastaskedwithproducingsoftwareforpharmaceuticalsalesrepresentativesor‘reps’.Inmostcases,thesesalespeopledonotsellmedicine;theirroleistoeducateandinfluencephysicianswhoaremakingtreatmentdecisions.Giventhechoiceofcommunicationchannels,physiciansstillpreferasalesreptodigitalengagement(viaemail,forexample).Historically,marketinginthisspacehasbeenwellquantified,sothereisalotofinformationavailableaboutwhatmessageswork,andhowtheywork,andwhichdoctorsreadordonotreademailorsearchontheweb.Thatprovidesaverydata-drivenfoundationforapproachingphysicianswithinformationaboutpharmaceuticalproducts.

Theideaforthissolutionwastoselectthebestofthesemessagesanddata-driveninsightsandprovidethemtoarepwhilesupplementingwithcompellingnewdatasources.However,itwaschallengingtodelivertheinformationinaformatstreamlinedenoughforasalesrep,whomightbetouching50,80or150physicianseveryfewweeks.Therecouldconceivablybehundredsofdatapointsforasinglephysician;includingpatientdata,therecouldbethousandsofdatapoints.Inotherwords,thiswasaclassic‘bigdata’problem.

Anothercriticaldimensionofthebusinessproblemwasthatveryseasonedsalesrepsbelievetheyaregoodatwhattheydo.Individualswithsignificanttenureintheirrolemaynotwantautomatedsuggestionsintendedtomakethemmoreeffective;suchsuggestionscouldbeseenasinsultingorinvasiveatworst,irritatingatbest.Thus,thewaytheseinsightsorsuggestionsarepackagedandprovidedhastobedonewithcare.UXhasacriticalroletoplayinensuringthatthecontentwasrelevant,consumable,andnotalienating.

TeamComposition

Theprojectteamitselfwascomprisedmostlyofengineers.Someengineersworkonthebackend(ortheserverside)ofthesolution,whichisthecomplexunderlyinginfrastructure.However,therearedifferenttechnologyskillsrequiredtobuildthefrontend(orinterface)forthatsolution.Thus,manyprojectshaveatleasttwoseparateengineeringteamsthatneedtobecoordinated.Thefrontenddevelopers(theFEDs)typicallyhavethemostinteractionwithresearchersanddesigners.

Morerecently,astheuseofbigdatabecomesmorecommonweseetheemergenceofdatascientistswhoareresponsibleforimagining


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andcreatingthealgorithmsthatareusedtoqueryorelicitoutcomesfromtheselargeorcomplexdatasets.Thedatascientistisdeeplyfocusedonthedataitself,andextractingtheelusiveanddesirable‘insights’fromtherawcontentinanuancedwaythatmovesbeyondsimple,easilyprogrammablebusinessrules.

Finally,theteammayhaveoneormoreresearchersand/ordesigners,asdescribedearlier.

Intheconsumerindustry,atypicalratioofuserexperiencecapabilitiesrelativetoengineeringwouldbeoneresearcherordesignertotenengineers.Intheenterprisesoftwarespace(systemstomanagetheinternalprocessesoflargecompanies),1to100(oreven1to1000)ismorecommon(Yen2017).Forthenewestproductscomingtomarket,thereisagrowingunderstandingthatafocusondesignisincreasinglycriticaltosuccess(Maeda2016).Thismattersfornumerousreasons,butoneofthemajoronesisthatthereisagrowingbodyofresearchthatshowsitisdifficulttoachieveinnovationwithoutdiversity(Rogers2003:271-296,Hunt2015).Asnotedearlier,innovationisperceivedassignificantinthisspace.Thedesiretodeliveraconsumer-gradeexperienceintotheenterprisealsorequiresahigherdegreeofUXinvestmentandstaffing.

Inaprojectteamlikethisone,theresearchersorthedesignersaretheoneswhoareaskingthequestionsaboutpeople.Whoisgoingtousethis?Whatdotheycareabout?Areweactuallysolvingtherightproblem?Isthistechnologythewaytosolvethatproblem?Ifwehavealreadybuiltaprototype,howdoestheuserfeelaboutit?Howdotheyinteractwithit?Forthemostpart,thequestionsaboutmakingthesolutionusable,compelling,andultimatelydesirableforpeoplecomefromtheresearchersorthedesigners,whotypicallyrepresent10%orlessoftheoverallteamstaffing.

GettingtoWork

ThePOCwasintendedtocreatenewmarketopportunitiesbyupgradinganexistingproductconcept.Theteam’sgoalwastodeliverauser-friendlyanddifferentiatedexperiencewithnewtechnologies.Whatmostcharacterizedthechangewas(a)thecommitmenttodeliveraconsumer-likeexperience,includingdimensionssuchastheinterface,thedegreeofpersonalization,andtheperformance,and(b)ashiftfromsimplebusinessrulestoalgorithmsagainstamuchlargerandmorevarieddataset.

However,incontrasttoothercasestudiesIhaveread,thegoalofthisprojectwasnotpureResearch&Developmentabsentmarketpressures,noristheanthropologistactingasaneutralcoachtobrokerdialogueacrosstheteam.Thiswasrealizationofatechnicalvisionwitha


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desiretoproveaconceptandapressingtimelinetocommercializeit.Thiscasestudyfocusesontheactivitiesofvarioussub-teamsduringanine-monthperiodleadinguptotheformalrequestforfunding.

Inaprojectofsuchspeedandcomplexity,therearemanyinteractionsandlearningsacrossteams.However,intheinterestoffocusingoncriticalmomentsofalignment,thispiecefocusesonthreecriticalmomentsintheproject(1)thedefinitionoftargetusersandthekeyscenariosthesolutionwouldsupportinthefirstfewmonthsoftheyear;(2)thedesignofafirstprototypetosupportusabilitytestinginMay;and(3)thecreationofademoscriptforakeyfundingmilestoneatthebeginningofAugust.

Eachofthesemilestoneswasmarkedbythecreationandsharingofnewboundaryobjects,developedbytheUserExperienceteamtocreateafoundationforsharedunderstanding.TheunstatedobjectiveinproducingandsharingUXartifactswastohelptheteamshiftfromamultidisciplinaryapproachtoaninter-ortransdisciplinaryone.

IdentifyingUsersandKeyScenarios

Thereisanidealwaythattechnologyprojectsarerun,inwhichbusinesscasedevelopmentandsubstantiveuserresearchtakesplacebeforedevelopmentbegins.Butinmynearly20yearsofexperiencethatrarelyhappens;usuallythereissomekindoftechnologyevaluationorproof-of-conceptunderwaywhiletheuserexperienceteamisjustgettingengaged.Saidanotherway,anykindofbusinesscaseorformativeresearchhaseitherbeenskipped,orispresumedtobeunderstood.Fortunately,inthiscasetheUXteamhadamassedabodyofresearchaboutsalespeopleoverthecourseofseveralyears.Withthisfoundationalresearchinhand,theUXteamwasabletomovequicklyintosubsequentstagesofwork.

TheUserExperienceteamwasengagedinJanuary.Theotherworkstreamswerestillbeingstaffed,butinordertomeetaggressivetimelines,UXworkbeganwithouttheinvolvementofotherworkstreams.Inadditiontoreviewingpreviousresearch,theteamengagedwithnearlythirtyconsultingteamswhohadalsodoneworkonsalespeople.Usingthatinformation,designersbeganbycreatingempathymaps(Farnworth2014)forvarioussalesroles.Similartoamarketsegmentationexercise,anempathymapbuildsonpersonasbycapturingalistofneedsforaparticulartargetgroup.Empathymapscanbebasedonprimaryresearchorwithstakeholdersasahypothesisaboutthetargetgroup’sneeds.Usingprimaryresearchfromthepast,theUXteambegantocreateempathymaps,andquicklyarrivedattheconclusionthattherewassignificantoverlapinthesalesrolesthatwerebeingdesignedfor.Asaresult,theteamrecommendedasingle,commonexperienceacrossroles(withdifferentdata)totheprojectsponsor.


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Astheteamgraduallyformed,theUXteamdescribedthedifferenttypesofsalesrepstotheprojectteamthroughsomesimple,research-basedusertypes.4TheUXteamguidedadiscussionaboutthedifferenttypesofsalesreps,andwhatthedayinthelifeofaprimarycarerep(whomightfocusonbroadissueslikecardiologyordiabetes)mightlooklike.TheUXteammadeclearthatthoseprimarycaresalesrepshaveaverydifferentpatternofworkthanaspecialtyrep,whomighthaveaccesstoverydifferentkindsofdata,haveamuchphysicallylargerterritory(thereforespendingmoretimeinthecar),callonfewerphysicians,andbeabletoschedule(andkeep)regularappointmentswithphysicians.Theserepsmustalsobedeeplyknowledgeableinadiseaseareainordertobeseenascredibletoahealthcarepractitioner.Inconjunctionwiththeprojectsponsorandteam,weagreedthatthestrongeststartingpoint(theMinimumViableProduct,orMVP)wouldbewithaclassicretail(orprimarycare)rep,sincethereismoredata(andmoreconsistentdata)toworkwith.Theteamrecognizedthattherewouldbeadditionalchallengesforthedatascienceteamagainstthelessrobustdatasetsthatcharacterizespecialtypharmaceuticals.

Bycullingpriorresearchandreviewingtheworkofmanyotherprojectteams,theUXteambegantoconstructajourneymapthatdescribedkeymomentsinarep’stypicalpatternofwork(monthly,weekly,daily).Thelowestpointsonthatjourneymapwereidentified,andthisdeeplyinformedUXrecommendationsaboutwhattheproductshouldseektosupportandenable.Inotherwords,thefindingssupportedtheprioritizationofcertainsolutionfeaturesandcapabilities.ThisunderstandinginturnallowedtheUXteamtomakesomehigh-levelrecommendationsaboutwhichtypesofdataorinsightsmightbethemostusefulinthecontextofthisparticulartypeofrep’sworkday.Duringthisprocess,theUXteamalsosoughtguidancefromthebusinessworkstreamteammembersaboutwhattypesofdatawouldbethemostimpactfulatthatmoment.

Attheconclusionofthediscoveryresearchandsynthesiseffort,theUXteamhadaclearunderstandingofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetypesofusersunderdiscussion,andanunderstandingofwhatkindsofscenariostheuserstraversedthroughouttheirday.Perhapsmostimportantly,theteamhadidentifiedfourmajorpointsinthedaythatcouldbeaddressedbythetechnologyunderdiscussion.

However,theUXteammembersgrosslyunderestimatedhowmuchtheyhadlearnedasateamduringthatdiscoveryphase.TheywereworkingtogetherlargelyoutoftheMidwesternUnitedStates,withsomesupportfromtheEastcoast.Inhindsight,thereshouldhavebeenmorethoughtfulandcleardecisionsabouthowtheotherworkstreamsengaged4Inthiscase,wedidnotcreatepersonas,butratherfocusedonthedifferencesbyjobfunction.Wefeltthatthesubtledistinctionsthatpersonaswouldevokewerenotasrelevantinthiscase,nordidwehavetimetocreatesuperfluousartifacts.


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intheprocessandoutcomesduringthattwotothreemonthperiod.AsUXbegantheknowledgetransfer,manyoftheconclusionsandinsightsthattheUXteamtookforgrantedneededtobereviewedindetailandjustified.Significanttimeandeffortwasspentonensuringotherteammemberswereonthesamepage.

Scenariosandpainpointswerearticulatedtoothermembersoftheprojectteamthroughconcisedeliverablessharedoveraseriesofconferencecalls,butitwasnotnecessarilyasclearwhythosescenarioswererepresentedthewaytheywere,orwhycertainscenarioshadnotbeenchosen.Therewerenuancesinwhathadbeenselectedthatwereonlyevidenttoteammemberswhohadparticipatedinthediscoveryandsynthesisfromthebeginning.Inotherwords,onlytheUXteam.Thiswouldleadtoissueslaterintheproject;monthslaterasthefullteamsoughtdeeperunderstandingandengagementwiththisearlycontent,gapsinthescenarioswereidentifiedthatputtheentiredesignconceptatrisk.

PrototypeforUsabilityTesting

AstheUXdiscoveryperiodcametoaclose,thedesignerbegantocreatescreensinpreparationforusabilitytesting.Thesewerenotsimplewireframes.Rather,thetestingrequiredaninteractiveprototypewithsomerepresentativecontent.However,asthemembersofthebusinessworkstreamweregettinguptospeed,theUXteamwasrequiredtousetheirownjudgementandexperiencetocreatethatcontent.Theywouldlearnlaterthattheyhadmissedthemarkonthecontentinsubtleways.Thiswasnotcriticalforusabilitytesting,butitdidresultinsometoughstakeholderfeedbackandreworklaterintheproject.

Theusabilitytestingwentverywell—notjustfeedbackonthenewconceptandexperience,butintermsofdetailedusabilitytestingofthesolution;theuserswereabletobothunderstandtheconceptandcompletethetasksforwhichitwasdesigned.Needlesstosay,theUXteamcameoutoftheresearchelated;theywantedtotransmitthefindingstotheteamatlargetoensurethateveryonewasclearaboutthemostimportantaspectsofthatdesign.Thehopewastoensuretheprojectteamasawholeretainedanappreciationofthedesignrationale,evenastheteamcontinuedtogrow.Theusabilitytestingfindingsweresharedinaseriesofmeetingsacrosstimezonestomakesurethewholeteamwasexposedtowhatwasdiscovered.

However,inmyexperience,methodologyandfindingsarealwayslessimportant(notjusttoexecutivesbuttoteammembers)thantheimplicationsfortheirownwork.Ratherthantrulyfocusingontheuserpointofviewandwhatwaslearnedinthetesting,eachprojectteammemberlistensandfilterswithafocusonwhetherandwheretheyhavetomakeadjustmentsintheirownwork.Assuch,therewasafollowup


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meetingwiththetechnicalteaminparticulartoarticulatehowthisnewexperiencewouldhavetoevolveinresponsetowhatwasdiscoveredintheusabilitytesting.Inadditiontotheresearchfindings,aseriesofslideswasdevelopedthatdescribedwhatwaslearnedandwhatitmeantforthesolution,aswellasasetofupdateddesignsthatdocumentedthesubtlebutnonethelessimportantchanges.ThatdocumentationwasusedtobeginupdatestoboththeUXprototypeandtheassociateddemoscript.

DemoScript

Aspartofbuildingtheinteractiveprototypeforusabilitytesting,itwasnecessaryfortheUserExperienceteamtostringscenariosandsomerepresentativecontentintoademoscript.TheUXteamwasnotdeeplyconcernedaboutthedetailsofthecontentforusabilitytesting,becausetheinitialfocuswasonnavigationandgeneralusabilityofthekeyinteractions.However,therewereanumberofsynergiesbetweenthematerialsneededforusabilitytestingandthedemoscript.Thus,thegoalwastocreateasinglescriptthatcouldbeusedforusabilitytesting,andthenlatertoshowcasethesolutioncapabilitiestothebusinesssponsorandultimatelytoourclients.

TheUXteamusedastoryboardformattobringtherestoftheteamalongonthestorylineforboththeusabilitytestingandthedemoscript.Inordertoensurecontinuedprogress,theUXteamenabledthebusinessteamwithaspreadsheettoprovidesampledatabackforthescreens.Bygentlyreinforcingthescopeandapproachwiththeirownartifacts(orboundaryobjects),theUXteamhopedtoguidetheapproachofthegrouptoamoreuser-centered,focused,andexperience-friendlyoutcome.

However,astheinitiativegainedmomentum,theteamexpanded.Forreasonsthatremainunclear,newteammemberscreatedaseconddemoscriptwhichdidn’tleveragetheearlierscenariosdefinedbyUX,andwhichdidn’tprovideUXthecontentnecessarytocreatepolishedscreens.Thebusinessteamalsocreatedtheinitialscriptforaconceptvideo.However,thethreescripts(UXdemo,businessdemo,andvideo)wereeachslightlydifferent,necessitatingthreedifferentsetsofscreens.Whiletheteamwasabletoachievesomedegreeofalignmentacrossthemall,keydates(e.g.recordingofthevideo)requiredthatallworkstreamsforfeitconsistencyforspeedofexecution.

Ononehand,alltheteammemberswerethrilledtoseethegrowingmomentum.Ontheotherhand,thislate-breakingnewsmeantadditionalworkandurgentneedforbettercoordinationacrossteams.FortheUXteam,itmeantbeingawareof,reviewing,monitoring,andprovidingfeedbackonafourthsetofscreens.Atthebreakingpoint,theteamrequestedthatoneofthefourmaindeliverablesshouldhaveprimacy.TheUXprototype(whilethemostcurrentandinlinewith


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usabilitytestingfindings)wasabandonedinfavoroffocusingonthetechnicalPOC.Fortheremainingweeks,thebusinesseffortwentintorefiningthecontentforasubsetofPOCscreens,andUXeffortwentintoauditingthetechnicalwork,andensuringthatthescreenswerebeingbuiltasdesigned.

GettingitDone

Asthemomentumgrew,manyofthequestionsthatemergedfromseniorstakeholderswerearoundtechnicalcapabilitiesandfeasibility.Itbecameincreasinglycleartothesponsorthatafulltechnicalproof-of-conceptwouldberequiredtoensureasuccessfulrequestforfunding.Thus,amereeightweeksbeforethefundingmilestonemeeting,thetechnicalteambegantobuildatechnicalproof-of-concept.

Duringthoselasteightweeks,theUXteamfoundanumberofcaseswherethetechnicalteamhadtakenlibertieswiththedesignconcept.Whentheybeganaskingthetechnicalanddatateamtoreconsidertheirchoices,theyfeltthefirstmajorpointsofresistance.Thetechnicalteamtriedtoexplainthatthealgorithmswouldaddresstheoverwhelmingvolumeofdata,muchinthewaythatalgorithmsonFacebookpresentonly20%oftheavailablecontenttoitsusers(Rader&Gray2015),usingoveronehundredthousandalgorithms(Page2016).TheUXteamtriedtoexplainthatthesystemwouldfailifitwasnotdesignedinawaythatwasalignedwithhumanbehavior—itdidnotmatterwhatdatawasthere.Intheend,theteamachievedanuneasytruce,agreeingonthekeythemes(e.g.recency)thatwoulddrivethealgorithm,butnotworkingdeeplytogetheronthespecifics.Bothsidesrecognizedthatonlyaclientimplementationwithrealdatasetswouldrevealtheappropriateleveloffilteringthatwouldbenecessaryforacompelling,consumer-gradeexperience.

Originaldesignconceptswerealsobeingchallengedasthebuildgotunderwayinearnest.Forexample,thefront-enddevelopershadenabledswipingtoremoveanewsfeeditem.Thisisagoodinteractionforamailbox,butnotanappropriateparadigmforanewsfeed.Thus,whatappearedtothefront-enddevelopersasaninnovationappearedtotheUXteamtobreaktheunderlyingmentalmodelofthedesign.

Consequently,eachfeature—andeveneachinteractionwithinthatfeature—required(re)discovery,clarificationondesignrationale,andoccasionallytherevisitingofdecision-makingauthority.ThemovefromUXprototypetotechnicalPOCdidnotmeanthatUXwasnolongerresponsibleforthedesign,butinfactitbecameincreasinglydifficulttoretaincontrolofthedesignconceptanditsexecutionincodeasthecenterofgravityfortheprojectshiftedfromtheU.S.toIndia.


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Thesethreecriticalmomentsintheproject(agreementonthetargetusers,finalizationoftheprototypeforusabilitytesting,andcreationofademoscript)wereeachdifficultintheirownway.Someofthosechallengeshadtodowiththeconstructionoftheteamworkingremotely,acrosstimezonesandcultures.Manyofthechallengeshadtodowithlessobviousissues,suchastheabilitytocommunicate,empathize,andalignacrossdisciplinaryboundaries.However,inspiteofthevariouschallengestheyfaced,theteamdidsecurefundingtocontinuetheirefforts.Thisresultedinamoreambitioussetofgoalsforthesubsequenttwelvetoeighteenmonths.Asisoftenthecaseinthesoftwareindustry,thesizeoftheUXteamremainedthesamewhilemanynewtechnicalteammemberswereaddedtobringtheconcepttolife,andultimatelytomarket.

Discussion

Whathavewelearnedfromthiscasestudyaboutinterdisciplinarycollaborationinthesoftwareindustry?Inmanyways,Ifeelthatitpointstoadisconnectintheacademicliteratureonthistopicinatleastthreeways:(1)timepressuresplayasignificantroleinshapinginteractionsandworkpractices,(2)complexityofteamstructuremakescollaborationacrossdisciplinaryboundariesdifficult,and(3)anthropologistsarenotpresent—asbrokersorotherwise—insuchcontexts.We’lltakeeachoftheseinturn,below.

TimePressures

ThebackdropofAgileshapesworkpracticesandtheresultingboundaryobjects,butitisperhapsalesscriticalfactorinthiscasethanthetimepressures.Therealityofurgenttimelines,commercially-focused,globallydistributedteamwork,andcollaborationacrossdisciplineshasalsobeenmadeevident.Theurgencytogetstartedresultedinthestaggeredarrivalofkeyprojectteammembers.Thiscreatedchallengesbothinprojectdeliveryandinestablishinganymeaningfulsenseofteam,asdidthedistributednatureofthegroup.Co-locationissupposedtobearequirementforAgilesoftwaredevelopmentteams.Morethananyotherfactor,co-location(orevenalargeroverlapintimezones)wouldlikelyhaveacceleratedsharedunderstandingandalignmentor‘norming’(Tuckman1977).However,costpressuresresultedinstaffingtheentiretechnicalteaminIndia,whichmadetrueintegrated,Agileiterationanddeliveryachallenge.

ComplexityofTeamStructure

ThereisclassicVenndiagramfromIDEOandtheStanfordd.school


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(Schmiedgen,2013:22)whichdescribesDesignThinkingashavingthreekeydimensions—technologyfeasibility,businessviability,andhumanvalues(usability,desirability).Gooddesign,anoptimaluserexperience,andultimatelyinnovationhappenwherethosethreedimensionsoverlapatthecenteroftheVenn.Historically,thisdiagramwasalsoaneffectivewaytodescribethecompositionofaprojectteam.Engineerswereprimarilyconcernedfortechnology,productmanagersandbusinessanalystsforthebusinessviability,andtheuserexperienceteamforthehumanaspects.Inahighfunctioningteam,thecenteroftheVenn(thekeyman)isasharedresponsibility.

Inthisproject,theadditionofthedatascienceteamaddedafourthcircletotheVenn.Thisdimensionofcoordinationhadnotexistedinthepast,anditwasnewforalmostallteammembers.Forexample,forthebusinessworkstream,theprimarypointsofintegrationwerewithUXononehand(asitregardedtheoverallexperienceandscenarios),andwithdatascientists,ontheother.Datascientistsworkedwiththetechnologyandbusinessteams,buthadlittleinteractionwithUX.Inturn,themajorityofUXinteractionwaswiththebusinessteam,andlaterwiththetechnologyteam.Therewaslittletonodirectinteractionwiththedatascientists.

Inthisteamstructure,thenumberofdifferentteamsandthecomplexityofcoordinationledtoanumberofchallenges,inspiteofgoodintentions:

• TheUXdiscoveryprocesshadidentifiedpotentiallynewdatasourcesthathadnotbeenexploredinthepast.Thebusinessteam’schallengewastocreatearobustframeworkforthislargersetofdata.Thisrequiredclosecollaborationwiththedatascienceteamtoidentifythedatasourcesandhowtoacquirethem,understandthestructureofthosesources,anddetermine(withthetechteam)howthosewouldbeingestedandintegratedintothesystem.Ultimately,theteamneededtoarriveatasharedunderstandingabouthowthesenewsourceswouldbefilteredandpresentedintheexperience(orcontentcontainer)beingcreatedbytheUXteam.ThisrequiredtheUXteamtounderstandthedatadeeplyenoughtocreateasetofdesignstandardsforeachpotentialdatavisualization.

• ThetechnicalteamwasbasedinIndia,andtheywereresponsibleformakingtherecommendationsregardingwhatcomponentswouldneedtobebuiltorbought,andensureallthepieceswouldfittogether.Insomecasestheteamdidsmalltechnicalproofsofconcept(POCs)tomakesurethedifferentcomponentsworkedtogetherasexpected.Duetotheirlaterstartandthenecessaryfocusontheirownproject


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commitments,thetechnicalteamhadlittletonounderstandingoftheinsightsthatledtotheexperiencethatwasdesigned,beyondtheusertypesandwireframesasanoutput.

• Theprimaryresponsibilityofthedatascienceteamwastohelpmaketheshiftfromrules-basedtoalgorithmandmachinelearning-basedconsumptionofexistingandnewdatasources.Theytypicallyhaveadeepunderstandingoftoolsandtechnologiestowritealgorithms,buttheyarenotalwaysdomainexperts.Thus,thecollaborationwiththebusinessworkstreamwaskey.Likethetechnicalteam,thedatascientistswerelargelybasedinIndia,hadnotlivedorworkedintheU.S.,orbeenexposedinanysignificantwaytothehealthcaresystem,healthcareproviders,orsalespeople.TheyjoinedtheprojectafterUXdiscovery,initialdesignconcepts,andusabilitytestingwerecomplete,whicheffectivelyresultedinnoexposuretothefindingsandrecommendationsbytheUXteam.

Itbecomesevidentthatwhileuserexperienceprofessionalsareworkingonateamwithdatascientists,withtheexceptionofroutinestatuscalls,thereisvirtuallynointeractionbetweenthemandthedesigners.Thus,thereisnoobviousmomentfortheUXteamtohaveaperspectiveonwhateverbiasesorlimitationsmightbepresenteitherinthedataorinthealgorithmsbeingwritten.Inthiscase,thatmayhavebeenasaresultofthegeographicdistance,orthefactthattheUXteamwascomprisedalmostexclusivelyofinteractiondesigners,withlessinterestinsuchtopics.

However,closercollaborationbetweenUXanddatascientistsdoesseemtohavepotential.Whileengineeringteamsmaybeseekingclarityinordertoexecute(e.g.asimplewireframesothatfront-endcodecanbewritten),datascientistshavetocopewith—andultimatelymakesenseof—manylayersofcomplexitytodevelopeffectivealgorithms.Thismaymakethemmoreappreciativeofanuanceduser-centeredperspectivethantheirpureengineeringcolleagues.

Nonetheless,giventhestaggeredarrivalofteammembers,theprofessional,geographic,culturaldistance,andthepressingtimeline,itisnotsurprisingthatallteammemberswouldnotdeeplyunderstandtheintendedusersoftheproduct.Evenwithoutthesignificantchallengeoftimezoneoverlap,withinprojecttimelinesitwasnotpossibletoexpecteachworkstreamtobedeeplyknowledgeableabouttheothers.

TheRoleofAnthropology

Ithaslikelybecomeevidentthroughthiscasestudythat—withthe


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exceptionofmyroleasanarrator—anthropologistsarenotpresentatallinthenarrative,norarethereanysocialscientistsservingasbrokers.Rather,designerswithresearchskillsandexperiencewereresponsiblefordevelopinganunderstandingofthepotentialusersandtheircontextofuse.

Thecommercialpartofthetechnologysector(asopposedtoR&D)maintainsarapidpaceofchange,includingbothnewtechnologiesandcommodificationoftheold.Combinedwithgloballydistributedteams,thisprovidesaculturallydistinctbackdropinwhichtoassessthevalueandimpactofourwork.Ultimately,thosewhowishtowriteinathoughtfulandimpactfulwayaboutthesoftwareindustrymustengagewithpractitioners.Theinsiderperspectiveiscriticalinordertobeabletoreflectinameaningfulwayonboththechallengesandtheopportunities.

Conclusion

Theintentofaboundaryobjectasinitiallydefinedistoenablecooperationwithoutconsensus(Star2015c:250-51).Yet,acertaindegreeofsharedcoherenceisnecessaryinorderforthatobjecttoserveitspurpose.Itisperhapsobviousbutimportanttonotethatasharedobjectiveandanurgentdeadlineconstitutesneitherateamnoracommunityofpractice.Thereareinterestingandsometimesdifficultdiscussionsthathappenfromthesesiloedpositions.Inordertowintheminds(andmaybeeventhehearts)oftechnicalteammates,abigpartofourworkinthesocialsciencesanddesignistocreatetheboundaryobjectsandprovokediscussionsothattheteamblendsdifferentperspectivestogetherintothebestpossibleoutcome.Yet,thepressurefacingcommercially-focusedteamsmakesitchallengingtodeliverone’sownworkandmakeallthenecessaryconnectionstootherworkstreams.

Anthropologistsanddesignersmaybeemotionallyinvestedintheirwork,thoughtfullycraftingboundaryobjectswiththehopeofbrokeringunderstandingacrossthevariousdisciplineswhichcomprisetheteam.However,duetogeographicandtimezoneseparation,culturaldifferences,orsimplylackofinterest,thatdesireisnotnecessarilysharedbyotherdisciplineswithinthesameteam.Asaresult,boundaryobjectsthatarecraftedasalaboroflovetotransmitarichunderstandingofusersarenotnecessarilyvalued,andmaybereinterpretedorignoredastheymovedacrossworkstreams.Thisleadstoconfusionandrework,aswellasunhappinessforthosecommittedtoauser-centeredapproach.Socialscientistsanddesignersmayneedtoself-regulateasregardstheemotionalinvestmentintheirownwork;theirdeepcommitmenttoauser-centeredapproachmayalienateotherteammembers,orresultinburningthemselvesout.


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Inthiscase,onlytheUXteamwasactivelyseekingtoachieveadeeper(interdisciplinaryortransdisciplinary)levelofcollaboration.WhiletheParticipatoryDesignandCSCWtraditionsincludetechnologists,acloserreadonStarr’searlyworkonboundaryobjectsrevealsthatitwasfocusedwithinadiscipline,whetherneurophysiology(2015c),zoology(Star&Griesemer,2015)),orartificialintelligence(2015c).Thus,wehavemoreworkaheadtotrulybreakopenthatblackbox;understandingwhatittakestocultivatetruecollaborationacrosswildlydifferentdisciplines.

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NatalieD.Hanson,Ph.D.isaPrincipalandpartneratZS,whereshebuiltandnowleadstheUserExperienceteamacrossbothengineeringandtechnologyconsultingorganizations.PriortoZS,sheworkedatsoftwaregiantSAP,whereshealsobuiltaUserExperienceteamsupportingBoard-levelprojects.NatalieholdsanMAinWholeSystemsDesignfromAntiochUniversitySeattle,andaPhDinAnthropologyfromTempleUniversity.Sheresearchesworkpracticesandworkenvironments,withafocusthewaysinstitutionsrespondtomacro-economic,industry,andregionaltrends,andhowtheresultingorganizationalchangesaffectthelivesofemployees.Natalieisthefounderofanthrodesign,avibrant,global,onlinecommunityofoverthreethousandmulti-disciplinaryresearcherswhouseethnographicmethodsinthebusinesssetting.Sheblogsregularlyathttp://www.nataliehanson.com.