Integrating a SCRUM-Based Process with Human Centred Design: An Experience from an Action Research Study

Context: Agile software processes are more frequently being integrated with aspects of human centered design given the commonalities that the two approaches share, such as user involvement, importance attributed to testing and prototyping practices, iterative design and so on. Goal: tailor a SCRUM-based process by integrating it and adapting it with Human Centered Design (HCD) practices. Method: action research experience carried out in an industrial case study involving researchers, an Italian SME and stakeholders of the final product (a web portal). Results: The research has led to the definition of the HCD-SCRUM process. The classic process has been tailored by: including staff dedicated to the project, considering flexible duration of sprints based on the workload and priority of features to be developed, using an iterative-incremental progression of the SCRUM development practices and including customer interviews. Conclusion: The tailored process outlined in this paper has been substituted to the classic SCRUM process that the company was adopting before this research study.