The elephant in the conference room
Analia Ibargoyen, Dalila Szostak, Miroslav Bojic · 2013
We reflect upon how the ambiguous and often conflicting definitions of experience terminology (e.g., HFE, Usability, IxD, HCI, UX, XD) are impacting our understanding of the field as well as our ability to communicate, collaborate and educate others. We analyze the history of relevant disciplines and discuss the findings of an online survey completed by academics and professionals, which indicates a high variety in interpretation of terms. Further, we discuss surveys of job descriptions and related academic programs, and provide our perspective on the impact of this problem, as well as suggestions on how to begin to solve it.