Recently we have added User Experience (UX) Designers to our software engineering teams at Connamara. This step was made partially to improve the aesthetics of the user interfaces we build for our clients, but also, for certain projects, to provide a means for visually representing the user story of the feature under consideration.

Connamara also prides itself on our agile approach to delivering software. We recognize the fact that not all requirements for any software project can be known upfront. We also acknowledge that requirements will change during the course of a project. Thus, our development process is designed for these two absolutes.

However, I’ve learned recently that UX design doesn’t always fit neatly into agile development. Unlike agile approaches, UX design processes attempt to capture every requirement upfront and “lock down” the design with pixel perfect precision. Having learned this, I am now starting the process of self-education and research to design an approach for Connamara that includes the UX designer as an integrated member of a cross-functional agile team. I want to take the best of what UX design has to offer and integrate it into our agile process.

I plan on writing more on this topic in coming months as I work through this challenge. In the meantime, if anyone reading this would like to share their ideas or experiences in integrating UX design into an agile development process, please feel free to reach out. I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts.

— Jim Downs