Engaged scholars, thoughtful practitioners: the interdependence of academics and practitioners in user-centered design and usability

Abstract

Our field faces threats to its legitimacy that we will have trouble dealing with if we continue to allow a split between academia and practice. Many academics face obstacles in the way of more "relevant" research that would be more meaningful to practitioners, and practitioners tend to see academic research as not relevant to them in reinforcing their professional identity, skills, and legitimacy as the organizational experts in user research. Meanwhile, many practitioners feel they are threatened by a perceived commoditization and co-opting of user-centered design (UCD) and user experience (UX) work. These two trends or tendencies are rarely mentioned together. How they are related, and how we address these issues will have a significant bearing on whether our field will continue to advance or whether it will wither.