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A sense-making method where researchers write individual observations on notes and cluster the related ones into groups, so that themes and patterns rise to the surface.

A structured expert review that steps through each action a first-time user would take to finish a task, asking at every step whether they would know what to do and notice they did it right.

A one-on-one session where you observe and interview someone in their own environment while they do their real work, so you see how a task actually happens rather than how they describe it.

A method that measures people's emotional reactions to a design, often by having them pick words from a set list to describe how it makes them feel.

A method where participants record their own experiences, actions, or feelings over days or weeks, giving insight into how behaviour unfolds over time rather than in a single session.

A simple chart that organizes what a user says, thinks, does, and feels about a task, helping a team build a shared, human picture of that person's experience.

In-depth study of people in their natural surroundings over time to understand their behaviours, culture, and needs as they really are, not as they report them in a survey.

A test that measures where people click first when asked to complete a task, based on the finding that a correct first click strongly predicts whether they will succeed.

A quick test where people view a design for five seconds, then answer questions about what they remember, revealing what stands out and what the page seems to be about.

Quick, low-cost usability testing done by approaching people in public places like cafés and asking them to try a design for a few minutes.

An expert review where specialists check an interface against a set of established usability rules of thumb to spot likely problems, without involving real users.

A visual timeline of the steps a person goes through to reach a goal with a product or service, showing their actions, feelings, and pain points at each stage.

A fictional but research-based profile of a typical user — with a name, goals, needs, and frustrations — that a team keeps in mind so design decisions stay grounded in real people rather than guesses.

A short questionnaire used to decide whether a potential research participant fits the target audience before inviting them into a study.

A short, standard ten-question survey that turns people's ratings into a single usability score from 0 to 100, making it easy to compare designs or track changes over time.

A method for making sense of qualitative data by reading through it, tagging recurring ideas, and grouping those tags into themes that summarise what people said.

A technique where participants say their thoughts out loud as they use a product, so researchers hear their reasoning, expectations, and confusion in the moment.

A research method where you watch real people try to complete tasks with a product to see where they get stuck, confused, or make mistakes.