UX glossary

A dictionary of UX and user research terms, phrases and definitions for research, product and design teams.

A

A/B test

A/B testing can be used to compare the performance of a webpage, app, email, or advert.

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Actor

When customer journey mapping, the actor is the person who is experiencing the journey.

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Advanced UX research

Combine multiple different research methods in one study.

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Agile

Agile is an iterative approach to developing software, websites, apps or any other kind of digital experience.

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C

Card Sorting

Used for assessing and designing the navigation and structure of a website or app.

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Click test

Presents participants with a static image or screenshot of a page from a site or app, before asking questions.

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Conversion rate optimization (CRO)

Process of tweaking your website in order to increase the number of visitors who will complete a specific action on the page.

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Customer experience (CX)

The impression customers have of a brand as a whole throughout all aspects of the buyer's journey.

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Customer journey map

A customer journey map tells the story of your customer’s experience. From initial contact, through the various points of engagement, to the eventual long term relationship.

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D

Diary study

Diary studies gather information about a user experience over an extended period of time.

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E

Ethnographic study

Ethnographic studies are a field study technique.

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Expert review

In an expert review, a UX professional examines your product to identify usability, design and accessibility problems.

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Eye tracking

It measures the location and duration of a user’s gaze on stimuli.

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F

Five second test

A simple usability test in which a participant is shown a webpage for five seconds and is then asked some simple questions.

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Formative research

Formative research is done early in the product development to help form the product’s shape and design.

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G

Guerrilla testing

A way to gather cheap and fast feedback from the average person, by going out and asking people what they think of your idea or getting them to use your wireframes.

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H

Heuristic review

Heuristics are basically ‘educated guesses’ – a quick, but well-informed way of solving a problem.

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I

In-depth interview (IDI)

Qualitative research technique that involves conducting multiple individual interviews.

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Information Architecture (IA)

Refers to the way content is presented and accessed from any given page on your website.

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Interaction Design (IxD)

Refers to the way content is presented and accessed from any given page on your website.

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Iterative design

UX designers and researchers follow an iterative process – testing pieces and versions of the product and making improvements along the way.

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L

Lean UX

In Lean UX, non UX-trained people carry out UX activities involving all members of a development team.

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Live intercept

Refers to collecting user insights by surveying live visitors to a website, mobile site, or app.

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M

Mental model

Mental models derive from the way humans perceive the world around them.

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Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

The minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to be considered ‘working’.

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Moderated test

In moderated testing, the participants are observed by a moderator, either in-person or remotely. The core reason for getting into a moderated session is so that you can be in a live setting with a participant.

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Multivariate testing

Same as A/B testing, only you’re testing multiple versions of the same page rather than just two.

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P

Participant recruitment

The act of defining, finding and inviting representatives of your target audience into your user research or usability study.

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Personas

Personas are a way to help organisations understand their potential and existing audience in a more personal way.

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Prototyping

Simple version of your final product, which you use to test the design before launch.

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Q

Qualitative research

Any kind of investigation, experiment or study where the results aren’t in numerical form.

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Quantitative research

Any kind of investigation, experiment or study where the results can be presented with numerical values.

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Quick and dirty testing

A way to get fast user feedback on your product without any scientific rigour whatsoever.

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R

Remote user testing

Use of video recording software to capture the actions and spoken thoughts of users as they interact with your website, content or other marketing assets.

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Research method

The research method is the approach used to answer a research question.

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S

Scenario

When customer journey mapping, the scenario is the specific journey that’s being mapped.

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Screener

A screener (or screener question) is an opportunity for you to have bit more control over who carries out your test before they begin.

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Study

A study is what you set up in an online research tool to answer your research questions.

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Summative research

It is an evaluation of a product with representative users and tasks designed to measure usability of the complete product.

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Surveys

Series of questions that are used to gather quick information about consumer attitudes, preferences, sentiment, past experiences, or overall impressions of a brand or product.

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T

Think-out-loud (TOL)

Study that is used to get verbal feedback from participants while they interact with your website, app or online prototype.

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Tree testing

Used for assessing findability within the hierarchy of a website or app.

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U

Unmoderated test

How we describe unobserved tests, where a participant is left alone to complete tasks without the presence of a moderator.

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Usability

Measure of how well a specific user in a specific context can use a product/design to achieve a defined goal effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily.

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Usability task

When you instruct a research participant to complete an activity on a website, prototype, or mobile app for the purpose of understanding whether they can achieve a goal.

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Usability testing

Study to gather qualitative feedback from users as they interact with a website, mobile site, or app.

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User centred design (UCD)

Iterative design process in which designers focus on the users and their needs in each phase of the design process.

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User experience (UX)

Everything that happens to your users when they interact with your business or organization via your website, application or online communications.

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User Interface (UI)

The means by which you interact with a product is called the user interface.

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User research

The only way you’re going to understand the people who might use your product is if you talk to them first.

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UX benchmarking

Allow you to measure your digital product's baseline performance and measure how changes are affecting the UX needle over time.

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UX metrics

Set of quantitative data points used to measure, compare, and track the user experience of a website or app over time.

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W

Wireflow

A wireflow presents a combination of wireframes and workflows. 

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Wireframe

Wireframes are used to show webpage layout ideas.

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Workflow

Workflows map out a users’ movements across the wireframe or prototype.

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