When and how often do we review what questions are acceptable?

Question

This question was triggered by Benny's question on Why do we say we "browse" to a place on the Internet when we actually download a web server’s content to our browser?

To me that question is a valid UX question, although to allow it would be applying some of the rules inconsistently. I would personally like to see it allowed but have the rules updated and allow more broad questions that only those that have a "correct" answer. As if we are honest almost all of UX is opinion in some form or another.

So when and how often do we review what are acceptable questions? The obvious cases aside, it is the more contentious ones that I am referring to.

Answer 1

Good question. I know my question is on the outer edge of what we allow here, mainly in terms of scope. The question could be migrated to English.SE or even Programmers.SE. But I think it is also a UX question, since UX is not only built on opinions, but science and research as well. Is it answerable? Yes indeed. So far there are at least three answers which have the potential to be marked as accepted.

User Experience is (to me) a cross disciplinary science area including Marketing, Cognitive Science, HCI, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Information Design, Programming (at a high abstract level), English (in terms of phrases, labeling and terminology) and a couple of other disciplines. The article User experience definitions lists 27(!) different definitions on User Experience, which at least makes me feel humble on deciding what is and what is not a UX.SE question.

That's why some of my questions here regards all these fields since I think they belong here. Unfortunately for me, my question mentioned in John's question will soon be closed as off topic. To me this illustrates that the UX community here is more excluding than including. We close (me too) a lot of questions, excluding some very valuable questions. I'm currently reviewing my own closing behavior here. As a start, I have casted 2 reopen votes on high vote good questions, and we'll see what happens.

Reopen suggestions:

• As a programmer, how do I move into User Experience Design? [closed]
• Better term for “user” [closed]

My plan is to suggest a more including UX.SE than I experience today and hopefully make the site grow faster, which we are urged to make happen (Ref: Stack Improvement Drive - UX (Updated 12/4)).

In my mind John, reviewing the scope of accepted questions on UX.SE should be a constant process. But I also feel that a more structured, yearly event could also be of use. I will support and argue for a more including UX.SE.