UX fundamentals
This term describes the ease with which a user can accomplish a goal on a product.
Usability
In this research method, a participant is asked to speak their thoughts out loud while completing a task.
Think-Aloud (Protocol)
This deliverable is a low-fidelity, rough sketch or layout used to explore structure before visual design begins.
Wireframe
These CSS units scale relative to font size rather than being fixed like pixels - making them preferable for accessibility and responsiveness.
rem (or em)
Dark pattern
Jakob Nielsen's 10 general principles for interaction design are called this.
Heuristics
This type of research uses numbers and statistics to measure user behaviour at scale.
Quantitative research
The stage in the Double Diamond where skipping it most commonly leads to building the right solution for the wrong problem.
Define
This term describes the space around and between UI elements - a frequent source of designer-developer disagreements.
Padding (or whitespace / margin)
This global tech giant famously ran 41 shades of blue on their toolbar to test which performed best - sparking debate about data vs. design instinct.
This term describes the effort required to understand and use an interface - good UX design aims to reduce it.
Cognitive Load
This research technique involves observing users in their own environment rather than a lab setting.
Field study (or contextual inquiry)
In design systems, this is a reusable building block, like a button or input field, that can be combined to build UI.
Visual Hierarchy
This airline app is frequently cited as a notorious example of poor UX. Name the airline.
Ryanair (or Delta)
This UX concept describes the phenomenon where users form opinions about a website's credibility within the first 50 milliseconds of viewing it.
Aesthetic-Usability Effect (or First Impressions / The 50ms Rule)
This term refers to a question that steers the respondent towards a particular answer.
Leading question
This Figma feature allows designers to define reusable styles and properties that update globally when changed.
Variables (or styles)
The two CSS layout models - one for one dimension, one for two - used to control alignment and spacing on screen.
Flexbox (or CSS Grid)
This bank was the first in Australia to launch a full mobile banking app, setting a global benchmark for mobile UX in financial services.
Commonwealth Bank (CBA)
One of Nielsen Norman's 10 usability heuristics, this principle states that a well-designed interface should stop problems from occurring in the first place - rather than just giving users a good error message after something goes wrong.
Error Prevention
In this research method, participants are recruited and asked to complete tasks independently in their own time, logging their experience over days or weeks.
Diary study (or longitudinal study)
The term for the accumulation of design compromises, inconsistencies, and usability issues in a product that builds over time - often from prioritising speed-to-market over quality.
UX debt
If an animation looks "janky", it's often because it's dropping below this frame rate, which is the gold standard for smooth UI motion.
60fps (60 frames per second)
This company's map app had a launch so bad in 2012 that its CEO issued a public apology and recommended users use competitor products instead.
Apple Maps