A/B testing, also known as split testing or bucket testing, is a research method to gain statistical insight into user preferences. In an A/B test, you create two versions of a user interface and run a randomized test.

The AARRR Pirate Metrics Framework is a popular way to measure the success of a user experience. The Pirate Metric acronym stands for Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue, and is dubbed the "pirate" framework for the similarity to a pirate's "arrr matey". Each of these metrics can help you track the progress of your user experience and determine whether or not it is successful.

Analytics is a core quantitative tool that informs other UX research methods. Specifically UX or Experience Analytics. UX Analytics measures user activity with a focus on analyzing the user journey over marketing focused metrics.

Attitudinal research is a user-experience research method which is used to understand a participant's opinions, beliefs, feelings or thoughts around a subject often using surveys and focus groups.

Authority Bias is the tendency to give greater value to the opinion of an authority figure regardless of the actual value of the content and be more influenced by their opinion.

Automation Bias is the tendency to depend too much on automated systems and data and ignoring correct (non-automated) decisions.

Axial coding is a qualitative research technique for categorizing data collected from participants. Axial coding helps relate data together in categories, subcategories, and codes and is associated with grounded theory.

Behavioral studies observe what actions research participants take to accomplish tasks and meet their needs.

Card sorting is a user experience research technique used to help understand how users categorize information.

Coding for thematic analysis and user research involves the process of categorizing and labeling data based on themes or patterns that emerge from the data. It involves reviewing the data and assigning codes to specific words, phrases, or concepts that represent a particular theme or idea.

A concept test is a process that allows companies to evaluate the market for a new product. It is a process of determining if there is a market for a new product.

Confirmation Bias is the tendency of the researcher to focus on, remember, and use information that confirms a preconceived belief.

Conservatism Bias is when you do not sufficiently change your belief when presented with new evidence contrary to that belief.

Content analysis is a research method that involves analyzing qualitative data to identify patterns, themes, and meanings within recorded communication.

Conversation Analysis (CA) is a research method that has been increasingly used in UX research to understand social interaction and talk-in-interaction within the context of user experience. By analyzing naturalistic interactions between users and products or services, Conversation Analysis aims to describe the stable practices and underlying normative organizations of interaction, helping researchers gain insights into users' behavior, attitudes, and needs.

Declinism is the “Rosy Retrospection” bias. We are biased towards viewing the past positively and the future negatively, regardless whether the past is factually better.

The Decoy Effect causes a customer to change their preference between two options (A & B) when an asymmetric third option (C) is offered. The third option (C) is inferior in all aspects to A but only some to B and better than other aspects in B.

A design system is a collection of reusable components, guidelines, and best practices that help designers and developers build products that are consistent, visually appealing, and easy to use.

A Diary Study is a qualitative research method where research participants track their own use, behaviors, and perspectives with a system in a log. Study participants self-report using either a paper or digital log over time.

In user research, ethnography is a method of observing and studying users in their natural environment to gain insights into their behavior, attitudes, and needs. This involves immersing oneself in the user's context and observing how they interact with products, services, or systems.

Also referred to as Expectation Bias or Observer-Expectancy Effect.

A subset of Confirmation Bias, Expectation Bias is the tendency for a researcher to mainly use data that matches their expectations for the project and to disregard data that conflicts with their expectations.

A focus group for user research is a group interview session that is conducted with a small number of participants who share common characteristics, such as demographics or experiences relevant to the research question.

Framing Effect biases you towards drawing different conclusions from the same information based on how that information is presented. Specifically if the information is presented positively or negatively.

Functional Fixedness is another type of anchoring bias, it limits a person to only using a tool in a way it is traditionally used.

Grounded theory is a qualitative research method that aims to generate theories from collected qualitative data. It starts with the researcher's observations and develops into a theory that explains the phenomena under study. Grounded theory is particularly suited for exploring social processes, such as how people interact with each other and their environment.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative research method that is used to understand how people experience and make sense of their world in a given context and situation.

Also commonly called Sunk Cost Fallacy by economists. Sunk Cost Fallacy is a logical fallacy when people rationalize increased investment in a decision, based on the amount of prior investment, even if there’s evidence that the decision was wrong.

A user journey map is a diagram showing the visible and invisible steps a user goes through when trying to accomplish a goal with a specific service.

Mixed methods research is a research approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative research methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a research question or phenomenon.

Narrative inquiry is a qualitative research methodology that seeks ways to understand and represent experiences through the stories that individuals live and tell. It provides researchers with rich data that would otherwise be difficult to obtain through other methods.

When a researcher expects a specific outcome, and then subconsciously manipulates the research to get that outcome.

Participatory Design or co-design is a research method that actively involves all stakeholders in the design process, potentially in every stage. This approach is used to ensure that the result meets their needs and is usable. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as designers recognize the importance of involving end-users (current, potential or future) in the innovation process.

A Persona is a general representation of one type of user or target user for a system. They should contain relevant characteristics, tasks they need to perform, and goals or needs they are trying to meet. Personas help keep the design and development process user-centered by

Plan Continuation Bias is a logical fallacy where you fail to recognize that a plan is no longer appropriate for a changing situation

Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyze non-numerical data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivations.

Quantitative research focuses on how people behave and what actions they take through the gathering and analysis of data.

Salience Bias is the tendency to focus on more prominent or emotionally impactful items and ignore less striking items.

Scope Neglect is the failure to value a problem proportionally to the size of the problem.

System Justification is the tendency to support and reinforce the status quo even at the expense of individual or collective benefit.

The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a widely-used tool in the field of user experience (UX) design that helps measure the subjective assessment of usability in a system.

Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method used to analyze and identify patterns, themes, and insights within data.

Tree testing is an important usability technique that all user researchers should be familiar with. By creating a task list, site map, and recruiting test participants, you can conduct your own tree test and make necessary changes to improve the findability of topics on your website.

Usability testing is a key method and one of the most important tools in UX. Usability testing evaluates a product, service, or tool with people that are representative of real users. Usability test facilitators directly observe people using a system to complete tasks.