UX Basics

Question 1

What is a 5-second test
?

Answer 1

Showing participants an interface for a short period & then asking questions about what they remember to gauge first impressions.

Question 2

What is A/B testing?

Answer 2

Testing 1+ versions of a design in a live product;

Each visitor is randomly assigned to one version of the design, to see if it influences their behavior.

Question 3

Design accessibility


Answer 3

Focuses on ensuring interfaces and technology can be used by people with disabilities.

Question 4

affinity diagramming


Answer 4

A method of organizing large sets of individual pieces of information (e.g., ideas or research findings) into related clusters

Question 5

analytics

Answer 5

(For UX) Collecting data about real user actions on a live site or app

Question 6

attitudinal research


Answer 6

Asking people what they think or do; Limited by peoples’ awareness, memory, and willingness to report

Question 7

behavioral research

Answer 7

Observing the actions and choices that people make; 
 Can be influenced if people know they’re being observed

Question 8

best practices


Answer 8

Guidelines or recommendations for what to do, based on what typically works well

Question 9

card sorting


Answer 9

Asking participants to sort “cards” representing content and features in a way that makes sense to them

Question 10

content

Answer 10

The text, information, and voice of a user interface

Question 11

customer experience (CX)


Answer 11

The field or practice of designing the experience at the relationship level — in other words, designing for all interactions between a company and its users throughout the life of the customer relationship;

A term developed in response to organizations that limit UX to interface design only

Question 12

design pattern


Answer 12

General, repeatable solution for a common design problem, which can be customized for different contexts;

Sometimes called “components” or “elements”

Question 13

design system

Answer 13

A complete set of standards intended to manage design at scale using reusable components and patterns;

Reduces redundant design and development work while encouraging consistency

Question 14

design thinking 


Answer 14

The design thinking ideology asserts that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem solving can lead to innovation, and innovation can lead to differentiation and a competitive advantage.

Defined by the design thinking process and comprises 6 distinct phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, Implement

Question 15

discovery

Answer 15

A preliminary phase in the design process that involves researching the problem space, framing the problems to be solved, and gathering enough evidence and initial direction on what to do next

Question 16

eye-tracking


Answer 16

A rare form of usability testing, using special equipment to track the user’s gaze as they interact with an interface;

Useful for seeing what users look at and read on a page;

Can be extremely expensive and time-consuming to run

Question 17

field studies


Answer 17

Following users in their environment (office, home, etc.) to learn about context, workflows, and pain points

Question 18

focus groups


Answer 18

Facilitated discussion with a group of target users, typically 5-8 people

Question 19

heuristic evaluation


Answer 19

A method for finding problems in a design;

Evaluators examine the interface and judge its compliance with recognized principles (the “heuristics”)

Question 20

ideation


Answer 20

Stage in the design process involving the fast-paced generation of many diverse ideas

Question 21

inclusive design


Answer 21

Focuses on creating products that understand and enable people of all backgrounds and abilities

Question 22

information architecture (IA)


Answer 22

How content and features are organized, categorized, and labeled in a user interface

Question 23

interaction design (IxD)


Answer 23

(Concept) The behavior of interactive systems; 
 How users move through and use a system

Question 24

interviews

Answer 24

Conversations with users one-on-one

Question 25

participant


Answer 25

A person who has agreed to participate in a research study

Question 26

persona

Answer 26

Individual fictional user who doesn’t actually exist, but who represents the needs and goals of a larger demographic;
 A tool to help teams empathize for their users & keep their design user-centric.

Question 27

“pick a word” test


Answer 27

Ask participants to choose from a list of descriptive words (like “clean,” “cluttered,” “professional”)

Question 28

progressive disclosure


Answer 28

A design tactic involving offering more advanced or detailed features or content only when needed or requested

Question 29

prototype

Answer 29

The original model of something from which later forms are developed; 
 Might include visual design and can be static or interactive; 
 Used to explore, communicate, test or impress

Question 30

prototype testing


Answer 30

Testing a prototype with real users, usually in usability testing; 
 Provides feedback on design ideas before coding; 
 Allows designers to catch problems earlier in the design process

Question 31

qualitative user research


Answer 31

Focuses on uncovering and collecting insights, observations, quotes, or problems;
 For example: Interviews, qualitative usability testing, or focus groups

Question 32

quantitative usability testing


Answer 32

Focuses on collecting metrics that describe a design’s performance (for example, how long on average it takes users to complete a specific task);
 Requires more participants than qualitative usability testing (typically around 40 participants)

Question 33

quantitative user research


Answer 33

Focuses on collecting numerical (quantitative) data;
 For example: Analytics, A/B testing, or quantitative usability testing

Question 34

remote moderated usability testing


Answer 34

Researcher sets up instructions and tasks in a testing platform (e.g. User Zoom or User Testing) and then participants complete those tasks on their own (asynchronously)

Question 35

remote unmoderated usability testing


Answer 35

Facilitator meets with each participant remotely (typically in a video conferencing tool like Zoom, Skype, or MS Teams)

Question 36

style guide


Answer 36

Recommended ways to present various UI components consistently across an organization, application, or operating system;
 Examples: Branding, content, visual design, interaction design

Question 37

surveys

Answer 37

Set of questions asked to a large number of respondents

Question 38

touchpoint


Answer 38

Represents a specific interaction between a customer and an organization. It includes the device being used, the channel used for the interaction, and the specific task being completed

Question 39

tree testing


Answer 39

Participants attempt findability tasks with a prototype that consists only of navigation menus – no content or visual design

Question 40

usability

Answer 40

Refers to how easy a user interface is to use; 
 Defined by the five quality components of learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction

Question 41

usability testing


Answer 41

In a usability-testing session, a researcher (called a “facilitator” or a “moderator”) asks a participant to perform tasks, usually using one or more specific user interfaces. While the participant completes each task, the researcher observes the participant’s behavior and listens for feedback.
 Sometimes called “user testing”

Question 42

user experience (UX)


Answer 42

(Concept) The totality of the technology, content, interaction, and aesthetics that people experience from all touchpoints
 (Field) The act of doing research and design activities, and generally working to deliver a good experience

Question 43

user interface (UI)


Answer 43

The part of a system that the user can see and interact with

Question 44

user journey map


Answer 44

A visualization of the process that a person goes through in order to accomplish a goal

Question 45

user story


Answer 45

Requirements statement which references the purpose of a feature, to help a developer understand how it relates to the overall experience; 
 Typically in the format: “As a [type of user], I want to [goal], so that [benefit].”

Question 46

user-centered design


Answer 46

A philosophy and process that puts the focus of product design and development on the needs, thoughts, and behaviors of the product’s users

Question 47

UX designer


Answer 47

A UX professional who interprets research findings and translates them to design decisions; Designs interfaces, and creates prototypes

Question 48

UX researcher


Answer 48

A UX professional who studies, analyzes, and communicates how users work and use products/services

Question 49

visual design


Answer 49

(Concept) How an interface looks — its aesthetics, color, typography, and graphics

Question 50

wireframe


Answer 50

A type of prototype; 
 A simplified representation of an interface in which visual design is not included

Question 51

workshop

Answer 51

Unlike meetings, where things are discussed, UX workshops are more action-oriented — they focus on solving problems, making decisions, or creating artifacts.