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The field of user experience (UX) is growing and evolving rapidly. The Cuban software industry currently demands the development of higher-into quality products that provide a better experience to end users. The specialized scientific literature states that the user experience design (UX) should be integrated into the software development processes; however, in the Cuban academic environment, the study plans and programs do not include contents that encourage the appropriation of knowledge and development of the ability to design user experience (UX) in the computer professional. A methodology was developed consisting of stages integrated as a system to develop the ability to design the user experience (UX). For this purpose, the course “Methodology of User Experience Design,” located in a Virtual Learning Environment (EVA) of the Informatics Engineering course at the University of Matanzas, which allowed students to systematize actions and operations and consequently develop the ability, was used. To achieve the objective, theoretical and empirical methods of educational research were used. The Delphy method obtained the opinions and criteria of 16 experts, who theoretically validated the proposal.
Doctor of Education, Universidad de Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba
*Address all correspondence to: josuesemoentero@gmail.com
1. Introduction
Currently, the development and use of Information Technologies is increasingly diverse and widespread, growing at an accelerated pace and reaching significant levels. It has led to the proliferation of various software projects aimed at digitally transforming society, thereby simplifying the everyday tasks of citizens. The effective, efficient, and highly satisfying performance of these tasks is closely related to usability, which has been address by different authors from different angles and approaches [1, 2, 3, 4].
In the current technological context, there is a high demand for usability by end users. Likewise, there is a growing interest from the software engineering community to focus systematically on the adoption of methods and practices that generate products with higher levels of usability in their development [4].
Madruga and Viltres [2] consider that usability evaluation has different perceptions, from the developer, the customer, and the end user. The latter will determine the success of the product based on their satisfaction, influenced by the usability of the product; hence, the importance of creating usable software. It is not enough to create software for a specific purpose, and it must reflect the conditions and needs of the end users who will use it to ensure its success.
Bevan [1] highlights the difference between usability and UX in terms of performance and pleasure. Each respond to the following objectives: usability, evaluation effectiveness, satisfaction, and efficiency. Build an interface that is easy to use, improve learning (UX), understand the user, what he/she does and what he/she wants, recognize, and suggest responses related to emotions.
According to Rocca [4], UX is about technology that satisfies more than instrumental needs in a way that recognizes its use as a subjective, situated, complex, and dynamic encounter. To achieve a good user experience of their products, companies must establish processes and teams responsible for user experience design.
Aveleira and Silva [5] consider that design (UX) goes beyond the pursuit of ease of use in products to achieve innovative proposals focused on creating unique experiences. It is not a closed and defined discipline but rather an open and multidisciplinary approach to work. The projections should be focused on users experiencing pleasure when interacting with the systems, framed in that the functional criteria (which are obvious) are not enough, so you must achieve an emotional dimension of use and enjoyment of an interactive application, through an emotional design approach.
In software startups, UX practices are integrated throughout the development phases, but challenges persist due to resource constraints [6]. The integration of UX techniques with business process modeling is emerging as a promising approach to improve software design, including product lifecycle management systems [7]. These studies collectively emphasize the growing importance of UX skills in software development and the need for further research to optimize UX integration in various software development environments.
Among the authors who have defined the term skills, from a psycho-pedagogical perspective [6, 7, 8, 9, 10], these authors, attached to the historical-cultural approach of [11], assume, in one way or another, skill as a system of actions and operations that developed in an individual, within the framework of activity, on the basis of acquired knowledge and intellectual capacities.
Ginoris et al. [8] consider skill as a component of the teaching content as it is the conscious and successful mastery of the activity. We agree with [8], when they state that the functional invariants constitute a methodological theoretical term that allows the study with greater objectivity of the execution of the action, emphasizing that its pedagogical implication lies in the fact that it is possible to achieve mastery of the same as a skill, if the systematization of the functional invariants of the execution is achieved.
In this sense, the author of the present research considers that the skill is the result of the systematization and appropriation of a set of actions and operations on the internal plane. The didactic importance of its knowledge lies in the fact that, if the conscious systematization of functional invariants as a system of execution (actions and operations) is achieved, it can be mastered as a skill.
Colin et al. [12] argue that a set of skills have not been explored in the context of UX beyond a preliminary set of digital design skills created for an educational context, focusing on a symbiosis of technical skill and communication ability [13], refers that good UX design is gaining importance within the industry when developing new products, implies that user experience (UX) design skills must be available in the development process.
According to Øvad and Larsen [14], good UX design is gaining importance within the industry when developing new software products and implies that user experience (UX) design skills must be available in the development process. The field of user experience (UX) is growing and evolving rapidly, as instructors who teach and help design (UX) programs for higher education students.
Recent research highlights the changing role of user experience (UX) in software development. UX designers require visual interface design skills, while UX researchers need proficiency in usability studies and interviews [15].
User experience (UX) design methodologies have evolved to address the increasing complexity of digital products and user needs. Traditional approaches include interaction design and user experience design, while newer methodologies such as Agile, Lean (UX), and Design Sprint have emerged from commercial perspectives [13].
Research on user experience (UX) design methodologies in university environments reveals several approaches. Agile methodologies combined with user-centered design have been proposed for identifying usability issues in the early stages of educational software development [16].
According to Riascos and Estrada [17], universities play a significant role in the software industry insofar as they are the educators of professionals in the IT field. Consequently, higher education institutions (HEIs) offer academic programs related to systems engineering, software engineering, and computer engineering; however, in many cases, these programs do not include courses related to user experience design (UX).
Training software developers in simplified (UX) methods through on-site hands-on sessions have shown promise in integrating (UX) considerations into agile industrial environments [14]. Teaching (UX) design to IT students presents challenges due to its interdisciplinary nature, requiring educators to foster creativity and customer-driven thinking [15]. These methodologies aim to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application, emphasizing the need of adapting methods (UX) to fit diverse developmental contexts and educational needs.
According to Barroso BenÃ\-tez et al. [18], taking user experience (UX) into account in the framework of industrial development offers transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Its application is recommended from the early stages of development, as well as the training of personnel involved in the matter. In this way, design, evaluation, and control styles available in agile paradigms are taken advantage of.
Cuervo [19] considers that the UX has matured in recent years and has evolved as a competitive factor in the development of software products and services in Cuba; however, difficulties have been detected in the Cuban academic environment, due to the insufficient approach to the reality of the conditions of the software industry. The Cuban software industry is mainly focused on functionality issues. The steps toward usability and UX are still relatively slow, and there is no mention of aspects that allow the analysis of UX nor the inclusion of UX in the measurements [18].
Segura [20] suggests the need to expand the topics that include the end-user experience (UX) when interacting with the software as a guarantee of product quality, ensuring from the university curriculum the preparation of more competent professionals in this area of scientific knowledge. There is a need to deepen these aspects where the end-user experience when interacting with the software is taken into account, among other issues, as a guarantee of product quality.
Currently, the design of the curriculum of the career of computer engineering in Cuba, which is based on the experience gained in the realization of economic and social transformations that occurred in the country, has a strong emphasis, among other issues, on developing skills in the computer professional, so that it allows to develop quality software, according to international trends in software development. Among the disciplines of the career that enable this purpose is the discipline of software engineering and management, which among its general objectives, proposes to develop software management processes, ensuring the quality of software products [21].
Due to the vertiginous development of computer science and the objectives of this discipline, it is difficult to define the subjects that conform to the curriculum. In this sense, the study plans to raise some subjects that constitute important proposals, among which software quality stands out. The University of Matanzas is part of the network of Higher Education Centers of Cuba (CES), where the Informatics Engineering degree is taught in the daytime and blended modalities.
During the development of the teaching-learning process of the degree, the optional subject “Usability in Software Development (USD)” is developed, which addresses the essential elements to evaluate the usability of a computer product, however, design contents (UX) are not addressed in the subject, therefore the skill of designing the user experience (UX) that contributes to the training of more competent professionals according to the demands of society is not developed.
From the above considerations, it could be established as a fundamental contradiction of this investigation between the need to enhance the contents of user experience design (UX) during the software development process and the insufficient theoretical and methodological treatment given to the ability to design user experience (UX) in the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas. A descriptive exploratory study was conducted to determine the theoretical and methodological treatment given to the ability to design user experience during the software development process in the career, and the following question was asked.
How to develop the skill to design user experience in the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas?
To determine how to develop the skill to design user experience in the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas, different methods were used at the theoretical and empirical level. In this sense, the historical-logical method allowed studying the treatment given to the ability to design the user experience (UX) during the software development process, particularly in the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas. The analytical-synthetic method made it possible to break down the essential concepts of the skill for the analysis of its particularities, and, with these elements, it is possible to use the definitions and general characteristics of the skill of designing user experience as a synthesis.
The Study Plan E which governs the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas was consulted, as well as the study plan of the Software Engineering and Management discipline, the methodological orientations offered there and the didactic treatment given to the contents of user experience design, in the subject Usability in Software Development taught in the career, which together with the consultation and theoretical systematization of national and international literature, related to the subject of study, allowed establishing the regularities on the internal structure and functional invariants of the ability to design the user experience (UX), during the software development process in the Informatics Engineering course at the University of Matanzas.
Interviews were conducted with students of the regular daytime course belonging to the fourth year of the 22nd and 23rd academic years, who receive the subject Usability in Software Development, where it was possible to verify the lack of knowledge on the subject, in that sense most of the students in their answers associated it to software usability or reduced it only to the metrics that characterize the evaluation of usability of a computer product, but they failed to provide many more elements. We reviewed the graduation degree works corresponding to the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd academic years, showing a reduced number of degree work elements related to the user experience (UX) and the need to take it into account during the development of their computer systems.
Interviews were conducted with 13 teachers who taught different subjects in their careers, in order to verify the knowledge they had on the subject, and criteria were obtained on the treatment they give to the development of the ability to design the user experience (UX). In this sense, they do not expose students to the importance and purpose of the ability to design the user experience (UX) as they do not know its internal structure and have little mastery of it, as can be seen in the results of Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Results of the survey with the teachers who teach different subjects in the degree.
The above results highlight the need to find ways, forms, methods, and procedures that contribute to the development of the skill of designing user experience (UX). Therefore, the author concludes the need to develop a methodology to solve this difficulty. The Delphy method was used to obtain the opinions and criteria of 16 experts, which allowed obtaining a general consensus, which allowed the theoretical validation of the proposed methodology.
Based on the systematization made on the subject under study by several authors of [1, 11, 12, 15, 18, 22, 23, 24]. From a psycho-pedagogical and computer science point of view, the author defines the ability to design the user experience (UX) in the context of the Computer Engineering Career at the University of Matanzas as the system of actions and operations that students develop during the development activity of the computer product in its life cycle, which takes into account the sensation, feeling, emotional response, evaluation, and satisfaction of the end user.
To achieve this purpose, in the opinion of the author of this research, the conscious systematization of the functional invariants (actions and operations) of the skill to design the user experience (UX) is required. To achieve this purpose, the conscious systematization of the functional invariants of the skill of designing user experience (UX) is required (Tables 1–5).
1. Action: Evaluate the usability of the computer product
Operations
Determine the efficiency of the computer product.
Determine the effectiveness of the computer product.
Determine the recognition of the computer product.
Determine the ease of learning the computer product.
Determine the protection against errors of the computer product.
Determine the esthetics of the user interface, of the computer product.
Table 1.
Action: Evaluate the usability of the computer product with its corresponding operations.
Source: Own elaboration.
2. Action: Design an accessible computing product.
Operations
Develop a perceivable computer product.
Develop a workable computer product.
Develop an understandable computer product.
Develop a robust software product.
Table 2.
The action: Design an accessible software product with its corresponding operations.
Source: Own elaboration.
3. Action: Determine the information architecture of the computer product.
Operations
Identify user needs.
Organize computer product information.
Classify computer product information.
Structure the information of the computer product.
Define the labels and labels of the computer product.
Evaluate the information architecture of the computer product.
Table 3.
The action: Determine the information architecture of the software product with its corresponding operations.
Source: Own elaboration.
4. Action: Design IT Product Interaction
Operations
Analyze and evaluate user needs.
Define the behavior that the interface will have in the interaction with the users.
Design prototypes of the computer product
Use evaluation methods of the user centered design.
Table 4.
The action: Design IT Product Interaction with its corresponding operations.
5. Action: Determine user satisfaction with the computer product
Operations
Carry out interviews and surveys of users (to determine the behavior, attitude, feelings, and emotions of users about aspects of the computer product)
Carry out moderate tests (to check the completion by users of the tasks of the computer product)
Carry out beta tests (for several users on a platform in the final stages of the development of the software product)
Perform A/B tests (to measure the effectiveness of a specific design that guides the user to perform a specific action)
Table 5.
The action: Determine the user’s satisfaction with the computer product with its corresponding operations.
To structure a system of procedures that contribute to the development of the skill to design the user experience (UX) during the software development process in the Informatics Engineering course at the University of Matanzas.
The methodology has a general objective and two components, one theoretical and one instrumental, which are structured in three stages: diagnosis of the prerequisites of the subject (first stage), the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) for the preparation of the subject (second stage), and integration of the problem-based approach with the project approach during software development in the Computer Engineering course at the University of Matanzas, the structure of which can be seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Structure of the methodology.
The stages of the methodology are interrelated and logically arranged systemically. A relationship of subordination is established between the stages, diagnosis of the prerequisites of the subject, and introduction of ICT for the preparation of the subject, in which the necessary conditions are created for the subsequent development of the user experience (UX) design skill, which occurs in the stage of integration of the problem statement and the problem statement. In this stage, the fundamental actions and procedures for the development of the user experience (UX) design skill are developed, which correspond to the different stages of the software development life cycle: analysis, design, implementation, and validation. In this sense, during the solution of the software project, students rely on user experience design knowledge to solve subproblems. To do so, they perform a set of actions and operations that allow them to integrate into the software development phases, thus contributing to the development of user experience (UX) design competence.
The following is a brief description of the procedures for each stage and their contribution to the development of user experience (UX) design skills.
Stage 1: Diagnosis of the preconditions of the subject. The objective of the stage is to diagnose the level of assurance of the conditions present before the development of the user experience (UX) design skill in the subject and, based on this, to take the pertinent measures for its assurance.
Stage 2: Introduction of IT for the preparation of the subject. The objective of this stage is to introduce IT as a support for the subject and to systematize the knowledge acquired in the different stages of development of the IT project to develop in the students the skills to design the user experience (UX). It is addressed to each student using the course “User Experience (UX) Design Methodology,” available in the institutional repository of the University of Matanzas (https://eva.umcc.cu). The topics conceived in the course can be seen in the Figure 3.
Figure 3.
User experience (UX) design methodology course topics (https://eva.umcc.cu).
For this purpose, it is supported by the didactic material available on the platform., https://eva.umcc.cu which is used by the students during the different stages of the development of the IT project, and in this way, they develop the skills to design the user experience.
Procedures:
Develop the user experience (UX) design methodology course on the platform https://eva.umcc.cu.
Locate on the platform the available resources of the course, which contribute to systematizing the actions and operations of user experience design that facilitate the development of the user experience design (UX) competence.
Create forums in the course available on the platform, for the discussion of aspects related to the learning activities, to acquire new knowledge through debate. In this way, knowledge is built collectively from the answers to the questions asked by the students, encouraging reflection and criticism based on the problems presented by them, during the implementation of the IT project to correspond to their motivations and future aspirations.
Stage 3: Integration of the problem-based approach with the project approach during the teaching-learning process in the Computer Engineering course at the University of Matanzas.
The objective of this stage is to integrate the computer projects carried out by the students in the subject with the contents located in the course available on the platform https://eva.umcc.cu so that they promote the solution of problems that contribute both to the training and to the development of the ability to design the user experience (UX). For this purpose, the problem-based approach is introduced and integrated into the project approach throughout the different stages of the software development life cycle.
At this stage, the software project enables the integration of the problem-based approach with the project approach while ensuring the necessary problematic for the solution of the subproblems. In the solution of the subproblems of the software development life cycle: analysis, design, implementation, and validation, the students deploy the actions and operations necessary to develop the competency that subsequently validates if it meets the requirements of the software product to be developed and if can be used to solve other problems.
Procedures.
The teacher guides the solution of the computer project during which the student faces different types of didactic problems during the teaching-learning process in a project context.
The teacher, based on his experience, must take the teaching problems that arise from the students’ practice, linked to each of their computer projects and the level of development of each of them.
The teacher must promote spaces of exchange and cooperation for the achievement of the informatics project, as well as its development, where students have a leading role in decision-making.
The teacher requires the student to divide the problem into subproblems, with functionality during the development of the project.
To accomplish this goal, the “User Experience (UX) Design Methodology” course, which is available on the platform https://eva.umcc.cu, has been introduced as a new supporting element. To achieve this, eight activities have been proposed to be conducted with the students to enhance their skills to design user experience (UX). Examples of some of these activities are provided in Tables 6 and 7.
Activity #1. It should be done in the second week of classes, which corresponds to activity #2 of the program of the subject
This activity consists of the teacher guiding the students in the search for real problems in their environment and linking them to their computer projects, where the solution will promote learning and interaction by confronting them with diverse experiences, which will transform their learning and increase their capacity to process information, by sharing experiences with their classmates in an environment of collaboration, respect, and attention to individual differences and disinterested help, which will have an important impact on their motivations and future aspirations.
Objective of the activity: Characterize the essential elements of the IT project to be developed taking into account the user experience (UX) during the selection of each of your IT projects.
Proposal: Develop the course project.
Development: Five steps must be carried out
Step 1: Present a topic for the project.
This first step, of an introductory nature, is carried out with the whole group in the classroom, communicating the interests and scope of the computer project, the teacher, as well as the students, must make statements about the essential elements of the computer project and the expectations they have about it
Step 2: Project proposal. The first agreements on the project must be established in the course available on the platform (https://eva.umcc.cu). The necessary indications to develop it are expressed. At this point, the students must identify and specify the theme of the project to be developed by the teams created and propose the theme of each of their IT projects.
Step 3: The teacher should analyze with the students the IT projects, elaborated in other courses, and IT products elaborated by IT professionals that take into account elements of user experience design (UX). The students should establish comparisons between professional products and IT projects developed in previous courses by other students and how they can provide solutions taking into account appropriate elements of user experience design (UX)
Step 4: The teacher has to take advantage of the difficulties present in the software products developed by the students in other courses, to demonstrate why it is necessary to take into account user experience (UX) design during software development, establishing analogies with real-world problems.
Step 5: Processing and development of the IT project. Students must begin to develop their IT projects based on the problems that are generated in their solution, integrating the knowledge they receive in the course with the knowledge of user experience design (UX) with system characters that are presented in the course “Methodology of user experience design (UX)” available on the platform (https://eva.umcc.cu). The objective of the teaching task is to appropriate knowledge of user experience design (UX) with system character, in correspondence with the motivations and aspirations of the students. This teaching task must be oriented and guided by the teacher during all the development stages of the IT project.
Table 6.
Activity #1 Example of an activity to be done with students to develop the skill of designing user experience (UX).
Activity #3. To be done in the fourth week of classes, which corresponds to activity no. 4 of the program on the subject “Usability in Software Development”
Objective of the activity: To evaluate the usability of the software development, by integrating the design into the user experience (UX) during the realization of the IT project.
Proposal: It is carried out in the fourth week of classes of the course Usability in Software Development. The professor oriented the study of Topic 2: The user experience and its relationship with the evaluation of usability in software products of the course available on the platform with the following teaching content: Characteristics of usability and its relationship with the user experience. The effectiveness, efficiency, recognition, ease of learning, error protection, and esthetics of the user interface of a computer product.
Development: Four steps must be carried out
Step 1: The teacher has selected the problem present in one of the projects carried out by the students and can ask the following: Problematic questions and indications, namely, how to get the user of the computer system to complete the task through the developed functionalities, what elements must be taken into account for the user of the computer system to complete the tasks in time, how to deal with possible errors that may occur when the user interacts with the computer product, and how to ensure that the user learns easily to operate the computer system?
The teacher can establish as a heuristic strategy the decomposition of functionalities of already developed computer systems in such a way that the students visualize the elements that correctly evidence the efficiency, effectiveness, protection against errors, and esthetics of the user interfaces so that as the student develops the different functionalities of his computer projects, he integrates these elements. The impulses given by the teacher allow the student aware of the functional invariants of the action to evaluate the usability of the computer product that the student is expected to master.
Step 2: Once the previous step is completed, the teacher should guide the student to rely on the study of lessons 3, 4, and 5 and perform the teaching tasks 4 and 5 corresponding to Topic 2: The User Experience and its relationship with the evaluation of usability in computer products of the course available on the platform in order to determine the effectiveness, efficiency, recognition, ease of learning, error protection, and esthetics of the user interface of a computer product
Step 3: Once the second step has been completed, the student must exchange with the other students the teaching tasks 4 and 5 corresponding to topic 2 of the course, during the realization of his/her IT project
With the help of the teacher who teaches the course, and with the other students, they should develop activities related with these contents in their computer project with a high level of confrontation and variant analysis. This step should be performed in independent study after the activity has been oriented.
Table 7.
Activity #1 Example of an activity to be done with students to develop the skill of designing user experience (UX).
It is crucial to note that each of the proposed activities (eight) is systemic in nature and interconnected. Each activity has a distinct objective and requires specific steps that correspond to the subject matter addressed in the online course platform. This is intended to systematize the actions and operations and, consequently, to develop the ability to design user experience (UX).
To assess whether the methodology enables the intended objective to be met, the quality with which the actions of the initial diagnosis stages were executed to create preconditions must be checked, as well as the implementation of the procedures of each stage. To do so, it is recommended to use the following control instruments:
Stages of implementation of the actions: Initial diagnostic stage:
Document review guide: to determine whether all necessary and sufficient documents for this stage were reviewed and to what extent these were useful for the next stage.
Survey questionnaire for teachers: to check to what extent they are prepared in theoretical-methodological aspects, which are required for the implementation of the methodology
Verification of the quality of the program of the subject “Usability in Software” [20] (https://eva.umcc.cu).
To evaluate the proposal before its implementation in educational practice, sixteen experts evaluated the application of the Delphy Method [21]. For this purpose, they were offered different elements so that they could offer their criteria on the methodology, namely, (1) theoretical, psychological, pedagogical, and didactic foundations; (2) general bases of the methodology; (3) graphic representation of the methodology; (4) general objective of the methodology; (5) stages of the methodology; (6) methodological actions; (7) procedures.
A sequence of steps is executed to allow its application. For this purpose, the following steps were executed: elaboration of the objective; selection of the experts; choice of the methodology; execution of the selected methodology; and the processing of the information. The experts self-evaluate themselves through a questionnaire to be selected.
The competence of each expert is determined by the Competence Coefficient (K). The coefficient of knowledge or information that the expert possesses about the problem (based on his self-assessment) is represented in equation by the term Kc, and the coefficient of argumentation or substantiation of the expert’s criteria is denoted by the term Ka [25].
K=Kc+Ka)/2E1
Each expert is selected if the competence coefficient is in the range 0.8 ≤ K ≤ 1, as shown in the figure. In the research, the experts who met this condition were selected 16 experts which can be seen in Table 8. The experts were asked to evaluate the didactic strategy by assigning a quantitative value [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10], decreasing according to their estimation on the requested scale. In addition, they were asked to explain the weaknesses and strengths that, in their opinion, could be present in the proposed didactic strategy, as well as other relevant aspects not contemplated and which, in their opinion, should be present (Table 9).
Sources that have influenced your knowledge on the subject
Degree of influence of each of the sources
High
Medium
Low
Theoretical analysis performed
0.30
0.20
0.10
His experience in teaching and research practice at the higher education level.
0.50
0.40
0.20
Consultation of research in design (UX) by Cuban or foreign authors.
0.05
0.05
0.05
Knowledge acquired by master’s or doctorate degree
0.05
0.05
0.05
Knowledge about design (UX) and its relationship with other disciplines.
0.05
0.05
0.05
Your intuition based on your professional knowledge and experience
0.05
0.05
0.05
Table 8.
Calculation of the competence coefficient Ka.
Ka
Kc
K
E1
0.95
0.9
0.925
E2
0.7
0.9
0.8
E3
0.85
0.90
0.88
E4
0.8
0.90
0.85
E5
0.9
0.80
0.85
E6
0.8
0.80
0.80
E7
0.9
0.80
0.85
E8
0.7
0.90
0.80
E9
0.8
0.90
0.85
E10
0.7
0.90
0.80
E11
0.8
0.90
0.85
E12
0.8
0.90
0.85
E13
0.9
0.90
0.90
E14
0.9
0.70
0.80
E15
0.9
0.80
0.85
E16
0.7
0.90
0.80
Table 9.
Results of the coefficient of competence to select the experts.
The argumentation coefficient Ka is calculated by means of the following equation:
Ka=∑ni=n1+n2+n3+n3+n4+n5+n6E2
The results of the competence coefficient for each expert are analyzed as follows:
Mark each aspect of the guide with a value from 1 to 10, according to the level of importance you attribute to it.
__ Proficiency in HCI, user experience (UX) methodology of working (UX) in agile environments
__ Mastering UX methodology in agile environments for software development
.__ Proficiency in training and skills development (UX)
__ Proficiency in usability evaluation, accessibility, information architecture, interaction design, user-centered design, and UX evaluation methods and techniques.
__ How are the teaching activities designed, what participatory methods are used, how are the teaching methods and means used to achieve the objectives of the program?
__ Mastery of the career objectives, professional profile, modes of action and functions of the professional.
Explain the weaknesses of the methodology.
Explain the strengths of the proposed methodology
Would you like to suggest any aspect to be taken into account in the development of the methodology?
Table 10.
Guide to aspects valued by experts.
To perform the statistical processing for the data obtained from the experts, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W) was used. This coefficient allows the degree of agreement among the experts who evaluated the proposed methodology. The magnitude of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance is in the range 0 ≤ W ≤ 1. Values close to zero express disagreement in the concordance between experts and values close to one express maximum concordance. To calculate Kendall’s correlation coefficient (W), the formula proposed in the work of is assumed, reflected in the equation.
U=∑j=1n∑Rij2E3
The terms of the equation denote m number of experts; n number of aspects to be evaluated. The term U is the quadratic summation of the Rij, expressed in equation. The sum of ranks corresponds to the experts’ evaluation of question j, where Rij is the rank associated with expert (i)'s evaluation of question (j).
Ka=∑ni=n1+n2+n3+n3+n4+n5+n6E4
The values given by each of the experts to the aspects of the guide are shown in Tables 11, and 12 shows the range of scores linked to each other.
Experts (i)
Aspects (j)
A(j = 1)
A(j = 2)
A(j = 3)
A(j = 4)
A(j = 5)
A(j = 6)
A(j = 7)
A(j = 8)
E(i = 1)
9
10
8
8
10
8
7
9
E(i = 2)
10
9
10
10
10
10
10
10
E(i = 3)
10
9
10
10
8
10
10
7
E(i = 4)
10
9
7
8
8
7
8
7
E(i = 5)
8
10
8
8
8
9
8
10
E(i = 6)
7
8
9
9
8
10
10
10
E(i = 7)
9
8
9
9
9
9
10
10
E(i = 8)
9
8
10
9
9
9
8
10
E(i = 9)
9
10
8
8
7
8
7
7
E(i = 10)
7
7
10
8
10
10
7
8
E(i = 11)
9
10
10
8
9
8
10
8
E(i = 12)
8
9
10
9
10
9
10
8
E(i = 13)
8
10
10
8
8
8
9
9
E(i = 14)
9
9
9
10
10
9
9
10
E(i = 15)
8
8
10
8
8
8
10
8
E(i = 16)
10
8
7
10
8
8
10
7
Table 11.
Values given by each of the experts to the aspects of the guide.
Experts (i)
Aspects (j)
A(j = 1)
A(j = 2)
A(j = 3)
A(j = 4)
A(j = 5)
A(j = 6)
A(j = 7)
A(j = 8)
E(i = 1)
4.5
3.5
4.33
4.33
3.5
4.33
7
4.5
E(i = 2)
4.85
9
4.85
4.85
4.85
4.85
4.85
4.85
E(i = 3)
4.2
9
4.2
4.2
8
4.2
4.2
7
E(i = 4)
10
9
5.66
5.33
5.33
5.66
5.33
5.66
E(i = 5)
4
5
4
4
4
9
4
5
E(i = 6)
7
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
7
7
7
E(i = 7)
3.8
8
3.8
3.8
3.8
3.8
7.5
7.5
E(i = 8)
4
4.5
5.5
4
4
4
4.5
5.5
E(i = 9)
9
10
4.3
4.3
6.66
4.3
6.66
6.66
E(i = 10)
3.33
3.33
4.66
6
4.66
4.66
3.33
6
E(i = 11)
3
4
4
6
3
6
4
6
E(i = 12)
4.5
4
5
4
5
4
5
4.5
E(i = 13)
4
2.5
2.5
4
4
4
7.5
7.5
E(i = 14)
3.8
3.8
3.8
5.6
5.6
3.8
3.8
5.6
E(i = 15)
4.3
4.3
5
4.3
4.3
4.3
5
4.3
E(i = 16)
4
4.3
5.5
4
4.3
4.3
4
5.5
∑Ri
78.28
87.73
70.60
72.21
74.50
78.20
83.67
93.07
∑Ri2
6127.76
7696.55
4984.36
5214.28
5550.25
6115.24
7000.67
8662.02
Table 12.
Range of linked scores.
The result of the calculation of the concordance coefficient indicates that there is concordance in the experts’ assessment when evaluating the methodology proposal. If the value of W > 0.5, the coincidence of the experts’ opinions is verified.
W=12∗51351.14‐3∗162∗8∗8+12/162∗8∗83‐1=0.91E5
To perform this test, the significance test with Kendall’s W concordance coefficient is used. For this purpose, the following null hypothesis (Ho) and alternative hypothesis (H1) are proposed: Ho: chance coincidence (there is no association between them); H1: non-chance coincidence (there is an association between them).
U∑Rij2=51351.14E6
Each statistical assessment test compares the results of the typing formulas with one of the theoretical reference distributions. To know the value of Chi-square statistic (|2), the calculation is made by means of the formula of the equation, which contemplates the equivalence of (|2) for n > 7, with (n-1) degrees of freedom (df) [26].
χ2=mn−1WE7
Once the statistic (|2) is calculated, it is contrasted with the critical value of the percentage theoretical distribution (|2p), which is obtained by setting the significance level (α) and the (df). The value of (χ2p) is obtained from the Chi-square theoretical distribution table [26].
χ2=168‐10.91=101.92;paradf=n‐1=7E8
If (|2) ≤ (|2p), the null hypothesis is accepted, the variables are independent. Si (|2) > (|2p); we reject the null hypothesis, and the variables are not independent (there is an association relationship). The value of (|2p) for 7 df with a significance level α =0.01 corresponds to a value of (|2.99) =18.5.
The result of the comparison shows that (|2) > (|2.99). This allows the null hypothesis to be rejected and the alternative hypothesis to be accepted; in other words, it confirms that there is a non-coincidental coincidence between the experts.
By applying the Delphy method, the specialists who participated in the research were selected as expert evaluators of the proposed methodology. The experts’ considerations made it possible to introduce changes in the stages of the methodology. The calculation of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance applied to the results of the evaluation of the methodology obtained a value of 0.91, a result that allows affirming that there is a high degree of concordance among the experts.
A reliability of 99.9% is achieved, which allows arguing that there is a high degree of agreement among the 16 experts on the effectiveness of the methodology for the development of the skill under study in the context of the Computer Engineering career at the University of Matanzas. The results of the validation of the methodology confirmed its validity, by promoting consensus among experts in the conception that it is possible to develop the user experience design skill in the Computer Engineering degree at the University of Matanzas.
The exploratory descriptive study allowed an approach to the theoretical-methodological foundations that support the user experience (UX) competence during the software development process in the context of the Computer Engineering degree at the University of Matanzas.
The results of the validation of the methodology confirmed its validity, by promoting consensus among experts in the conception that it is possible to develop the user experience design skill in the Computer Engineering degree at the University of Matanzas, making it possible to be a reference in other educational contexts as long as they are adapted to them.
The teaching of User Experience (UX) must continue to be perfected in the Cuban academic environment, as its guide and concepts define a path to follow to reach parameters accepted in the international community regarding end-user satisfaction, which guarantees the preparation of more competent professionals in Computer Engineering degrees and emerges as an urgent and relevant need today.
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Written By
Josue Segura Montero
Submitted: 29 July 2024Reviewed: 30 July 2024Published: 10 January 2025
Open access peer-reviewed chapter - ONLINE FIRST
