Google UX Design cheat sheet

UX design is the process of supporting user behavior through usability, usefulness, and desirability provided in the interaction with a product; it covers the whole journey, not just the visual layer.

Five core components of UX: usability, usefulness, desirability, findability, accessibility. A product can score well on one and fail the user on another.

Design thinking phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test. The sequence is iterative - teams loop back to earlier phases as evidence changes.

UX designer responsibilities span user research, information architecture, wireframing, prototyping, interaction design, and usability testing; specialization splits into interaction, visual, motion, and UX research roles.

Product development lifecycle: brainstorming, definition, design, development, launch. UX work concentrates in definition and design but continues through launch and post-launch iteration.

Accessibility foundations: WCAG principles are perceivable, operable, understandable, robust (POUR). Contrast minimum for normal text is 4.5:1; large text is 3:1.

Equity-focused design means designing for groups historically underrepresented; universal design means one solution usable by the widest range of people without adaptation.

Cross-functional teams pair UX with product management (what to build and why) and engineering (how to build it); UX owns how the experience works for the user.

Good UX is measured by outcomes such as task success, time on task, error rate, retention, and satisfaction, not by the number of screens delivered.

Empathize methods: interviews, surveys, usability studies, diary studies, field observation, focus groups. Interviews and observation yield qualitative 'why'; surveys yield quantitative 'how many'.

Research types: primary (collected by you), secondary (existing sources), qualitative (motivations), quantitative (measurable counts). Combine types for triangulation.

A UX research plan states project background, research goals, research questions, target participants, method and protocol, and a timeline.

Bias controls: avoid leading questions, recruit a representative sample, include extreme users, separate the interviewer from note-taking, and use closed questions when a fixed set of answers is needed.

Empathy maps have four quadrants - says, thinks, does, feels - plus a central persona; they synthesize interview data, not invent it.

User personas capture goals, frustrations, demographics, and behaviors of a fictional but data-grounded archetype; one persona per distinct user group.

User journey maps show the user's actions, thoughts, and emotions across phases over time, surfacing pain points and opportunities at each stage.

Problem statements follow the pattern: [persona name] is a [user characteristics] who needs [user need] because [insight]. They narrow the problem without prescribing a solution.

Hypothesis statements follow: if [persona] [does action], then [outcome], because [rationale]. Ideation methods include brainstorming, Crazy Eights, and how-might-we questions.

Information architecture organizes content; common structures are hierarchical (tree), sequential (linear steps), and matrix (multiple paths to the same content).

Low-fidelity wireframes establish structure and hierarchy using boxes, placeholders, and labels; fidelity is raised only after layout is validated.

Wireframe progression: paper sketches, then digital low-fidelity, then high-fidelity mockups. Each step adds detail without discarding validated structure.

A storyboard is a sequence of sketches showing how a user experiences a product over time; a wireframe shows one screen's layout.

Design for the happy path first, then add edge cases such as empty states, error states, loading states, and long-content overflow.

Prototype interaction types: navigation (between screens), micro-interaction (in-place state change), and gesture-driven; each hotspot needs a clear start and destination.

Usability study on a low-fidelity prototype tests flow and concept clarity; visual polish is deliberately withheld so feedback targets structure.

Common layout conventions that reduce cognitive load: consistent navigation placement, recognizable icons with labels, clear hierarchy via size and spacing, and one primary action per screen.

Usability study types: moderated vs unmoderated, and in-person vs remote; moderated yields richer follow-up, unmoderated yields scale and speed.

Five participants uncover roughly 85% of usability problems in a single design; small iterative rounds beat one large study.

A usability test script includes an introduction, warm-up questions, task list, follow-up probes, and a wrap-up; tasks are phrased as goals, not instructions.

Key metrics: task success rate, time on task, error rate, and satisfaction (e.g., SEQ score). Report both qualitative observations and quantitative counts.

Severity ranking for findings: impact on the user's ability to complete the task combined with frequency of occurrence determines fix priority.

Research synthesis: gather data, organize into themes (affinity diagram), identify patterns, and derive insights; an insight explains why a pattern exists.

Presentation structure for stakeholders: background, research questions, methods, findings, recommendations, and next steps - lead with the actionable insight.

Ethical research requires informed consent, the right to withdraw, privacy of participant data, and anonymity in reporting.

A/B testing compares two variants on a live metric; usability testing observes behavior with a prototype - do not substitute one for the other.

Figma frame types: Frame (layout container, supports constraints and prototyping) vs Group (simple selection); prototypes must be built from frames.

Auto layout applies direction, spacing, padding, and resizing rules so components adapt to content instead of being positioned manually.

Components define a master element; instances inherit it. Overrides change instance text, color, or swap nested components without detaching.

Variants group component states (default, hover, pressed, disabled) into one set and drive interactive prototyping through change-to.

Styles and variables centralize color, typography, and spacing tokens; updating a style propagates to everything using it.

Prototype connections define trigger (on click, on drag), action (navigate to, back, open overlay), and animation (smart animate, dissolve, move in).

Smart animate interpolates between two frames that share matching layer names; mismatched names fall back to a dissolve.

Design system essentials: color and type scales, spacing grid (commonly 8pt), iconography, components with states, and documented usage rules.

Accessibility in high fidelity: minimum 44x44 pt touch targets, visible focus states, and text contrast of 4.5:1 for body copy.

Responsive design adapts layout to viewport size; adaptive design serves distinct fixed layouts per breakpoint. Responsive is fluid within ranges.

Breakpoints are the viewport widths where layout rules change; common ranges are mobile (0-599), tablet (600-1023), desktop (1024+).

Mobile-first means base styles target the smallest screen and media queries add complexity upward using min-width.

Fluid grids use percentage widths and max-width containers; fixed pixel widths cause horizontal scroll and cramped content on small screens.

Flexible images use max-width: 100% and height: auto so images scale within their container without distortion.

Relative units: rem scales with root font size and supports user zoom preferences; px does not. Use rem for type and spacing.

XD features for responsive work: responsive resize (pin to edges, set fixed or fluid width/height), repeat grid, and components with states.

Media queries apply conditional CSS, e.g. @media (min-width: 768px); stacking order on mobile usually becomes side-by-side columns on desktop.

Progressive enhancement builds a working baseline and layers capability; graceful degradation starts full-featured and removes features for limited devices.

Design for social good targets outcomes for underserved groups; success is measured by real-world impact, not by visual novelty.

Frameworks used in social impact work: human-centered design, systems thinking, and the double diamond (discover, define, develop, deliver).

Portfolio case studies follow: problem and context, role and team, research, ideation, prototypes, testing, final design, and measured outcome or reflection.

A UX portfolio typically holds 2-4 deep case studies rather than many shallow ones; each should show process decisions and rationale.

Interview stages commonly include recruiter screen, portfolio review, whiteboard or design exercise, and behavioral interview.

Behavioral answers use STAR: situation, task, action, result; quantify results where possible (e.g., task success improved from 60% to 85%).

Resume essentials: tailored summary, measurable impact bullets, tools listed accurately, and links to portfolio and case studies.

Networking and job search channels: referrals, design communities, mentors, and informational interviews; applications alone convert at a low rate.

Freelance and contract work requires scoping deliverables, agreeing on revision rounds, and setting payment terms before work begins.