# Coping with Uncertainty in UX Design Practice: Practitioner Strategies and Judgment

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.21397 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.21397/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Apr 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Tracing the Invisible: Understanding Students' Judgment in AI-Supported Design Work](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.08939/) (2025)
- [Human-AI Coordination Zones: A Framework for Designing Human-in-the-Loop Experiences with Agentic AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.09848/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The complexity of UX design practice extends beyond ill-structured design problems to include uncertainties shaped by shifting stakeholder priorities, team dynamics, limited resources, and implementation constraints. While prior research in related fields has addressed uncertainty in design more broadly, the specific character of uncertainty in UX practice remains underexplored. This study examines how UX practitioners experience and respond to uncertainty in real-world projects, drawing on a multi-week diary study and follow-up interviews with ten designers. We identify a range of practitioner strategies-including adaptive framing, negotiation, and judgment-that allow designers to move forward amid ambiguity. Our findings highlight the central role of design judgment in navigating uncertainty, including emergent forms such as temporal and sacrificial judgment, and extend prior understandings by showing how UX practitioners engage uncertainty as a persistent, situated feature of practice.