Introduction to the Special Issue on Usability and User Experience: Methodological Evolution

Abstract

This special issue focuses on the evolution of development and assessment methodologies related to usability and user experience. The five articles have a diverse range of topics, including comparison of moderated and unmoderated think-aloud usability sessions, a new usability inspection method based on concept mapping, analysis of the fitness of scrum (agile) and kanban (lean) development methodologies to incorporate user experience methodologies, exploration of the relation between expectations and user experience, and a case study describing difficulties encountered when assessing usability “in the wild.” These articles should prove to be of value to practitioners and researchers with an interest in the evolution of usability and user experience methodologies.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Editing a special issue of the journal is an effortful but deeply rewarding experience. I sincerely thank Gavriel Salvendy for giving me the editorial freedom to seek out and work with the talented researchers who graciously volunteered their time and effort as authors and reviewers to the contents of this (and the previous) issue of the journal.