Accessibility Audit is the process of evaluating a digital product—such as a website, mobile app, or document—for compliance with accessibility standards and guidelines. It involves both automated and manual testing to identify barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from…
Bait and Switch is a deceptive dark pattern in UX where users are enticed by an appealing offer, feature, or price—the bait—but are ultimately presented with a less favorable or entirely different outcome—the switch. This tactic misleads users into taking…
Competitive Benchmarking is the strategic process of comparing a product, service, or user experience against direct and indirect competitors to evaluate relative performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and uncover opportunities for improvement. In UX, it focuses on assessing how your…
Confirmshaming is a dark pattern in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design where users are manipulated into taking a desired action—typically by using guilt-inducing or emotionally charged language in opt-out options. This tactic shames users into compliance by…
Contextual Inquiry is a qualitative user research method that combines observation with in-depth interviews in the user’s natural environment. It aims to understand user behaviors, workflows, motivations, and pain points in context, offering deep insights for user-centered design. Expanded Definition…
DesignOps refers to the orchestration and optimization of people, processes, and tools that support high-impact, scalable, and efficient design work within an organization. It is a discipline that ensures design teams can focus on solving user problems and delivering quality…
Empirical Validation is the process of confirming design decisions, theories, or models through direct observation, measurement, and analysis of real-world user behavior and performance. In UX, it ensures that product designs are grounded in actual user data rather than assumptions…
End-User Experience (EUX) refers to the overall perception, satisfaction, and emotional response a person has when interacting with a product, service, or system. It encompasses every touchpoint—from initial interaction to long-term use—and measures usability, accessibility, performance, aesthetics, and emotional engagement.…
Feature Inspection is a usability evaluation method where individual features of a product or application are systematically assessed for their usability, functionality, and effectiveness within the context of end-user tasks. Rather than evaluating the entire system holistically, feature inspection focuses…
Gestalt Principles (also known as the Laws of Gestalt or the Law of Simplicity) are perceptual rules that describe how people naturally organize visual elements into structured, unified wholes. Instead of seeing isolated parts, our brains group related elements, fill…