ethics, training and HFI
(Apologies if you have seen this email elsewhere, I am interested in your views)
Hi All,
I have a question for you all on ethics. I have just received a mailshot from HFI, advertising a training course in London on User Centred Analysis and Conceptual Design. Please note that I do not compete with HFI on training and have no personal grudge of any kind.
Here are some statements from their mailing:
"Get certified by the world's leading user-centered design firm."
"HFI has earned a reputation as the world’s most well respected user-experience design firm and is the leader in usability and user-centered design training."
And this is from a recent press release on Usability News...
"Human Factors International (HFI) has just announced an extension of its successful program for certification of usability practitioners (Certified Usability Analysts) which currently provides certification to about 10% of the world's usability practitioners."
I note the following from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society's Code of Ethics:
Article II - General Conduct
Human factors scientists and engineers have the responsibility of comporting themselves in a manner consistent with that generally expected of the professional community.
Principle 1
In the conduct of their professional activities, members do everything necessary to reflect personal integrity as well as to convey the integrity of their profession.
Principle 2
Members avoid sensationalism, exaggeration, and superficiality that constitutes deception, and must similarly avoid any misrepresentation in all public statements, presentations, and submissions to mass media.
It seems to me that HFI are overstepping it a bit with some of these claims. Are they, "the world's leading user-centered design firm." I don't know how you would support such a claim and I don't believe it to be true.
HFI seem to be stepping up as if to become a professional body for us. They are pushing very hard their lucrative 'certification' programme.
This does not sit well with me. What do you think?Carl
PS I have just made a complaint to the UK's Advertising Standards Agency about the recent mailshot since I firmly believe it to be overstepping the mark
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Comments
Hi Carl,
Well you certainly have a strong position about HFI. Perhaps as CEO I can at least share the facts. I invite you to learn a bit more about us before you condemn us for ethics violations. Because I feel you are being unfair.
We claim to the world’s leading UX design firm. While people throw around ‘World’s Leading’ pretty freely, I think we have a rather solid claim to that title. We focus SOLELY on engineering psychology (or usability or UX as you like). We are not an SI, or graphics or innovation firm that has added on UX. We date back to 1981 and I have been at the helm since then. We have over 150 staff with physical offices in the USA, UK, India, Singapore, and China. We have been very active in seeding UX work worldwide and pioneering the blended us of offshore resources. In fact we are now happy to be doing major projects in Africa (where I travel to tomorrow). Our Indian offices (Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pondicherry) are celebrating our tenth year in India.
We have been leading the push for mature, industrial strength UX work. We have been creating customized UI standards since 1983. I published ‘Institutionalization of Usability’ in 2004. We created the ‘Certified Usability Analyst’ program; not as a training gimmick, but as a service to the industry. You do NOT need to take ANY HFI training to get your CUA and LOTS of people pass the very hard exam without HFI training (only about 70% pass overall). Our roughly 3,000 CUA’s probably does represent about 10% of the world’s census in UX Professionals (30k is my best guess anyway).
This year we came out with the world’s first ENTERPRISE software environment for UX work that leverages integration of persona builder, project management, standards, etc. This environment (or future competing environments) is essential to any group wanting to do industrial strength UX.
We are also pushing the borders of the field in the areas of persuasive design, innovation, and strategy. Certainly Don’s great emotional design book really spawned the area (though I published on the topic in 1981). But HFI has been disseminating systematic processes for emotional design, persuasive design, user centered innovation, and strategy.
This year we have also FINALLY cracked the challenge of how to certify a design as usable and we have provided that program. No one else has been able to do this. And I have been trying for thirty years. Just as the field urgently needed accessible individual certification, the field now needs certification of organizational maturity, and finally the certification of designs. This is a HUGE breakthrough which will strengthen our field and move it forward.
So Carl, I would like to invite you to study us more. And perhaps consider if we are the evil and sleazy company you seem to imagine. We have worked hard all these years to be known as scientific, systematic, pragmatic, innovative, and strategic. We are in fact generally seen that way. I don’t think ‘unethical’ has ever been a part of our ethos.
Best regards,
Eric
Thanks for your reply Eric. I have not said or implied that HFI is "evil and sleazy company" as you put it. My concern is only with your exaggerated advertising claims, that you are:
"....the world's leading user-centered design firm."
"the world’s most well respected user-experience design firm and is the leader in usability and user-centered design training."
HFI certainly seems like a big company but I don't see how that translates into being the most respected nor the world's leading company.
I have absolutely nothing against HFI and don't really compete with you at all. I'm very impressed that you have expanded to the extent that you have, and have achieved such a good global reach. I often use other company's training course so I am very glad to have other companies offering this sort of thing.
I raised this as an ethical issue since the HFES ethical policy mentions exaggeration, which I believe your advertising has led you to.
It seems, in these discussions, that there may well be a big difference between what is allowed in advertising in the USA and what is allowed in advertising in the UK. I have brought this to the attention of your UK MD and have now left this in the hands of the ASA.
Thanks for the reply.
Carl PS I have not been able to track down your 1981 paper on emotional design and would be quite keen to have a read.
On 5 September 2010 04:09, ericschaffer wrote: > Hi Carl, > > Well you certainly have a strong position about HFI. Perhaps > as CEO I can at least share the facts. I invite you to learn a bit more > about > us before you condemn us for ethics violations. Because I feel you are being > unfair. > > We claim to the world’s leading UX design > firm. While people throw around ‘World’s Leading’ > pretty freely, I think we have a rather solid claim to that title. We > focus SOLELY on engineering psychology (or usability or UX as you like). > We are not an SI, or graphics or innovation firm that has added on UX. We > date back to 1981 and I have been at the helm since then. We have over > 150 staff with physical offices in the USA, > UK, India, Singapore, > and China. We have been very active in seeding UX work worldwide and > pioneering the blended us of offshore resources. In fact we are now happy to > be doing major projects in Africa (where I > travel to tomorrow). Our Indian offices (Mumbai, Bangalore, > and Pondicherry) are celebrating our tenth year > in India. > > We have been leading the push for mature, > industrial strength UX work. We have been creating customized UI > standards since 1983. I published ‘Institutionalization of > Usability’ in 2004. We created the ‘Certified Usability > Analyst’ program; not as a training gimmick, but as a service to the > industry. You do NOT need to take ANY HFI training to get your CUA and > LOTS of people pass the very hard exam without HFI training (only about 70% > pass overall). Our roughly 3,000 CUA’s probably does represent > about 10% of the world’s census in UX Professionals (30k is my best > guess anyway). > > This year we came out with the world’s > first ENTERPRISE > software environment for UX work that leverages integration of persona > builder, > project management, standards, etc. This environment (or future competing > environments) is essential to any group wanting to do industrial strength > UX. > > We are also pushing the borders of the field in the areas of > persuasive design, innovation, and strategy. Certainly Don’s great > emotional design book really spawned the area (though I published on the > topic > in 1981). But HFI has been disseminating systematic processes for emotional > design, persuasive design, user centered innovation, and strategy. > > This year we have also FINALLY cracked the > challenge of how to certify a design as usable and we have provided that > program. No one else has been able to do this. And I have been > trying for thirty years. Just as the field urgently needed accessible > individual certification, the field now needs certification of > organizational > maturity, and finally the certification of designs. This is a HUGE > breakthrough which will strengthen our field and move it forward. > > So Carl, I would like to invite you to study us > more. And perhaps consider if we are the evil and sleazy company you seem > to imagine. We have worked hard all these years to be known as > scientific, systematic, pragmatic, innovative, and strategic. We are in > fact generally seen that way. I don’t think ‘unethical’ > has ever been a part of our ethos. > > Best regards, > > Eric > > (((Please leave all content below
Hi Carl-
As someone who has personally taken this class, and as someone who employs people on my staff have gone through their certification process, I do not have any issues with alleged ethics violations. I endorse this company 100%. In fact, while I was in graduate school in a Library and Information Sciences department, specializing in human/computer interfaces, I was told multiple times from multiple professors that I was "overqualified" for a number of courses due to my experience, training, and education. HFI provided outstanding training and education for me and my staff.
To be honest, Carl, it seems that your issue might be with advertising, marketing, and sales in general, not with this company. I do not like the hype of advertising any more than you do, but I think you are picking on the wrong company. HFI is one of the good guys.
Sincerely,
Shari