October 21, 2003
ForUSE - Panel Discussion – Between Extreme and Unified
Between Extreme and Unified: Where are the Users and Usability in Development Processes? - Panel. Ivar Jacombson, Jim Heumann, Ron Jeffries, Jeff Patton, Larry Constantine.
Jeff Says... Interaction designers make great Extreme Programming customers. Don't design up front. Quote "You keep using that word [design]... I do not think that means what you think it means..." You can't design without having an integrated, multidisciplinary design approach. We're talking about very Thick design from surface down to data level. One persons design is another's requirements. Do as much design as is necessary to proceed to that next step in development...
Ron Says... All software development methodologies are based on fear... Kent Beck. Fear from customers, fear from management. Programmers using XP are not predisposed to any particular order of doing things. They will however need to reshuffle things if some requirements are bought to an iteration. One in for one out. You will get things on time.
Jim Says... Usability into Rational Unified Process. Users are in the centre of RUP (based on use cases) Actors in a business use case model to define what the value to use cases to certain actors within the business. Usability comes in at the business level and the interface level. Use Cases need to be at the right level so as not to constrain the creative team and not to let them go too wild. Write the right use cases. Write the use cases right. Write the right system. Write the system right.... nnk...
Ivar says... We essentially agree. To be successful in the Software industry, we must raise the level of competence in our teams. Tools are going to get better and better in time as they develop. We need knowledge as an industry captured as best practices. These are not only best practices for designers but also for managers. We need to develop a process for the complete product life cycle.
Processional March question to Jim and Ivar. Give one example of a project that followed RUP correctly but failed? ... no answer
Same Question to Jeff and Ron about XP. "Everything seemed to keep going fine, customers were literate, process was working well and the quality and usability was high. But the client hadn't listened to their users adequately so the product ultimately failed.
What people are best suited for XP? People who will take on any task and focus on getting a good result for the team. The team works best when the team works together. We want people who are good at what they do and not hide behind a process.
What people are best suited for RUP? There are no specific kind of people that are necessary for RUP. RUP is about establishing a common language so that communication can be facilitated. You want people who are also good at what they do. You also want people who are diverse in skills so that they can empathise with other members of the team.
What kind of project product is XP best at? The best kind is a project that has a finite amount of time with mainly low risk as far as human life is concerned.
What kind are ill suited to XP? Organisations that don't hold the values sympathetic to all agile processes cannot make Agile processes work.
What kind of project is RUP best at? RUP wasn't originally designed as a management process. It was designed to help people know what a good way to do 'x' or practice actually looks like. RUP was designed was made through analysing what was common across lots of projects. RUP is a framework of knowledge, not a specific process. You can apply it to web development to military applications. It can be big or small. It's been going on for 25 years. It is designed to be specialised or customised, not a one size fits all.
To the best of your knowledge, what % of RUP adopters actually do it right, instead of just bought the software and been to classes: About 20%
And XP? The number is increasing, but we would guess a smallish percentage.
What if anything, does XP offer to help the overall visual architecture or organisation of the user interface? Nothing. XP is very much about making good code. it's up to the customer to specify the UI.
And RUP? Through creating a user experience model that is derived through the use cases. Representing flows and flow maps to show how screens fit together. There are specialists on a RUP team dedicated to making a good UI.
Can UML be used as a tool to communicate with XP teams? But of course! One of UML's strengths is aiding in collaboration... XP people say that not many people actually know how to use UML properly. Its a very specific language that is very specific. It is a good tool to know, but you shouldn't rely on it as a communication protocol.
In XP, is the role of Customer responsibility a confusion of expertise? Can a customer specify a good user interface? "Well, it's up to the customer". Jeff says, you can't expect a customer to design something if they're not qualified to do so. It comes back to common sense... use your head. Can your customer specify a user interface? If they can't, then perhaps you need to accommodate them with someone who can realise what they want in the form of an interaction designer.