UX Maturity and the Quest for Legitimacy
by Dr. Darren Hood
This blog post provides a summary of highlights from Episode 321 of The World of UX podcast.
Introduction
Legitimacy in UX can be a bit of a slippery concept. For many of us, it means having a seat at the table, being taken seriously, and having our work recognized as valuable. But why is achieving this kind of legitimacy so challenging?
A Quick History of UX
Let me take you back a bit. UX, as we know it today, is quite young. We didn’t really begin to formalize it until around the mid-1990s, despite there being early innovators like Don Norman. The real boom in UX happened with the rise of the internet, where roles first emerged in creative agencies before moving into corporate settings. When I look back, I see that the infancy of UX maturity was evident back then; we were all just learning as we went along.
Creative Agencies: The Cradle of UX Maturity
From my experience, creative agencies were where higher UX maturity levels first took shape. These places provided rich environments for growth, as they brought together individuals with advanced skills and knowledge. In contrast, when corporations started bringing UX efforts in-house without understanding what it entailed, it often resulted in underqualified individuals taking on complex roles, leading to low UX maturity narratives.
The UX Gold Rush and Its Consequences
Things got really interesting during what I call the “UX gold rush.” Corporations saw the benefits of having in-house UX work, which led to a flood of unqualified people taking on UX responsibilities. This influx diluted the discipline’s reputation. Remember when “UX/UI” started becoming common (back in about 2011–2013)? That was when visual designers began co-opting UX roles for better pay, leading to a misunderstanding — and many times a mishandling — of what UX truly represents.
Dealing with Low UX Maturity Today
Today, we still feel the effects of those early missteps. There’s a kind of toxicity that’s been normalized in our industry, where authentic UX practitioners often face resistance, misunderstanding, or outright erasure in an attempt to vault flawed and false representations of the discipline. Even bringing their authentic selves to the table can be met with hostility because the practice of poor UX maturity (deliberate or not) has become ingrained and considered to be a standard over time.
Managing UX maturity is crucial. It influences every project’s success and truly dictates the real value UX brings to an organization. We need to earn our legitimacy — it’s not about entitlement but about managing maturity effectively and showing the true value of UX.
Moving Forward
If we’re going to advance as a discipline, we need to embrace UX maturity. It’s about engaging with challenges, striving for improvement, and pushing the boundaries of what UX can achieve. By managing UX maturity, you’ll find that legitimacy follows naturally. It’s about outcomes, recognition, and understanding the real contributions of UX professionals.
Conclusion
The quest for legitimacy in UX is deeply intertwined with how we manage maturity within the discipline. It’s a continuous conversation that challenges each of us to seek higher understanding and push forward. I encourage you to embrace this journey and aim for authenticity. When we do so, legitimacy becomes an earned and undeniable result.
Remember, the choice is yours. Will you strive (or have you strived) for genuine legitimacy OR will you settle for what the poseurs, retrofits, and upstarts of our time have presented as UX?
I hope this discussion has sharpened your perspective on UX maturity and legitimacy. Stay tuned for more topics as we continue this series, and until next time, keep growing and driving our discipline forward. Happy UX-ing, everyone!
You can access the full episode via the player, below.
About Dr. Darren
Dr. Darren Hood is a 30+-year UX practitioner with a broad professional footprint across B2B and B2C operations and holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. In addition to serving as a UX manager, individual contributor, and freelancer in the business world, Darren is serving or has served as an adjunct professor at Michigan State University, Champlain College, Brandeis University, Lawrence Tech University, Kent State University, UCLA, and Harrisburg University. He is also one of the authors featured in “97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know.” He also regularly speaks at conferences and mentors people worldwide.
You can hear more from Darren by visiting the KaizenUX Medium blog landing page, the KaizenUX YouTube channel, or by listening to The World of UX with Darren Hood wherever podcasts are available.
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