A Framework for Assessing Organizational User Experience (UX) Capacity

ABSTRACT

Organizations across every industry are seeking to adopt effective User Experience (UX) practices, but they often struggle through an expensive process of trial and error because there is no standard methodology or approach for doing so. To address this challenge, we present the UX Capacity Assessment Framework (UXCAF) as a comprehensive tool for helping organizations understand the strengths and limitations of their current UX practices and identify targeted improvement strategies. Developed through a literature review and interviews with UX professionals, the UXCAF includes 21 concepts split into six dimensions of UX capacity: people, resources, practices and processes, organizational literacy, organizational decision-making, and benefits. We apply the UXCAF to three organizations in different sectors to show how organizations of any type and size can learn how to improve their internal UX practices and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Acknowledgments

We thank all of the interview participants, including those who participated in the pilot stage, for providing critical feedback and whose suggestions were invaluable to developing the final framework, and all participants from the three organizations featured in the case studies for offering their time and support for this research. We also thank Hilary Baribeau, Nora Gordon, and Mikiko Tokuhira, all of whom made important contributions to portions of this project. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the grant we received from the Pratt Institute School of Information Faculty Innovation Fund to support this work.

Disclosure statement

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Craig M. MacDonald

Craig M. MacDonald is an Associate Professor in the School of Information at Pratt Institute where he also directs the Center for Digital Experiences, a student-driven UX consultancy and academic research lab. His research focuses on strengthening organizational UX practices and improving HCI and UX education.

July Sosebee

July Sosebee is a Product Researcher at WillowTree. She graduated from Pratt Institute with a Master of Science in Library and Information Science and an Advanced Certificate in User Experience. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University. 

Alexandra Srp

Alexandra Srp is an Experience Researcher at Ogilvy. She holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Science and Advanced Certificate in User Experience from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Hunter College