Glossary

User interface (UI) is anything a user may interact with to use a digital product or service. This includes everything from screens and touchscreens, keyboards, sounds, and even lights.

Unmoderated usability testing is a form of qualitative research where users complete pre-determined activities using a design or interface. In these unguided studies, only the user r is present during the session. The user uses a usability platform, like the UserTesting platform, and completes tasks while answering questions out loud. These remote tests can be done at users’ own pace, on their own time, at a time and location of their choosing—making it highly convenient for both participants and researchers. Unmoderated testing is fast and flexible and enables users can complete their tests independently without disrupting the researcher’s daily workflow.

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.

Usability evaluation, composed of qualitative and quantitative research, is the process of assessing the user-friendliness of a system or product—and whether or not it satisfies users’ needs. Potential goals include simplifying a process, boosting efficiency, and raising awareness of a specific feature.

Usability labs are laboratories where usability testing is conducted under the supervision of a UX researcher. Test participants are recorded to observe how they complete tasks using the software.

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.

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

A use case is a written account of how a particular product, feature, or concept is utilized, or alternatively, how a specific challenge or pain point can be addressed. Organizations typically rely on use cases to highlight how their products or services can benefit their customers.

User experience is how you feel about every interaction you have with what's in front of you in the moment you're using it.

UX research is the practice of studying user interactions to help with the design of people-first products and experiences.

A user research education program is an education program within an organization that strives to educate more individuals within the organization about customer research and testing to help build awareness, knowledge, and skills so human insight can scale across the organization.

User-centered design can be defined as a creative approach to problem-solving that centers on users throughout planning, design, and development—customized to fit their needs. Whether you’re developing a digital or physical product, with the user in mind, you guarantee creating a product that’s both desired and user-friendly.

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

UX design is the process of designing (digital or physical) products that are useful, easy to use, and delightful to interact with. It’s about enhancing the experience that people have while interacting with your product, and making sure they find value in what you’re providing.

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

User experience (UX) writing carefully considers information that addresses people’s contexts, needs, and behaviors. While UX writing uses the same skillset as design, UX writers use words to guide users through an experience. The primary goal of UX writing is to help users successfully complete tasks in digital products and mobile apps in an intuitive and natural way, like writing a review, understanding an error message, or navigating a page. UX writers must continuously ask themselves, “Does the language in this digital product help my customers easily navigate their way around and do what they need to?”