What is a subset of the other?

In my organization, there is a simmering debate that Interaction Design is not a subset of User Experience, where as people think that it's just the other way around. This has me a bit in a fix because I have been trying to tell some of our management that IxD is a subset of UX.

The two images in reference are:
http://userexperienceproject.blogspot.com/
and http://emids.com/subpages/offerings-eit-usability.html

Or am I the confused one and some of the arguing personalities in my organization are correct. I hate to think so.

We are in a debate because there is a growing need to start a IxD, UseX and Usability department(s) in our organization.

This is interesting topic. And the point of view adopted by your organization as a preferred one seems to define the shape of the organization. So this is not just an academic question to you.

UX is a wider concept and involves things like content, aesthetics and such in addition to usability. I think UX design is about striving to generate desired impact to user's emotions and memory by various means. IxD concentrates on usability and how the system responds to user's actions. And it sure affects the user's experience. I think TIxD and UX design complement each other. They are more like sisters than mother and daughter.

Avoid over-conceptualizing this. In your organization, subduing IxD to UX design might be as bad as subduing UX Design to IxD.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=49125

I don't want to make your life harder, but here's an image from Nick Finck I've found to be helpful:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalweb/4197767981/

I would suggest making the next step of the debate one of defining the terms "interaction design" and "user experience." Going any further without definitions of the core purpose of a department will likely lead to many, many headaches. Good luck!

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=49125