Creative affordances: exploring the relationship of resources and job satisfaction among UX designers

Abstract

Creative affordances refer to the real or perceived relationships between a work environment and the actionable opportunities for employees’ creativity. This study investigates the impact of creative affordances on job satisfaction among User Experience (UX) designers, with the aim of identifying environmental factors that enhance creativity in the workplace and contribute to greater individual job satisfaction. To understand this relationship, a qualitative research method was used to collect data from semi-structured interviews conducted with eight UX design professionals. Key creative affordances explored include the availability of time and resources. The findings indicate that the extent to which a work environment enables or constrains these affordances has a significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction, perceptions of leadership, and overall morale. The study contributes to research on workplace creativity by highlighting the need for workplace strategies to prioritize the cultivation of environments conducive to sustaining job satisfaction.