A Framework for Assessing Organizational User Experience (UX) Capacity

Organizations across every industry are seeking to adopt effective User Experience (UX) practices, but they often struggle through an expensive process of trial and error because there is no standard methodology or approach for doing so. To address this challenge, we present the UX Capacity Assessment Framework (UXCAF) as a comprehensive tool for helping organizations understand the strengths and limitations of their current UX practices and identify targeted improvement strategies. Developed through a literature review and interviews with UX professionals, the UXCAF includes 21 concepts split into six dimensions of UX capacity: people, resources, practices and processes, organizational literacy, organizational decision-making, and benefits. We apply the UXCAF to three organizations in different sectors to show how organizations of any type and size can learn how to improve their internal UX practices and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.