Google UX Design flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

UX design definition

The process of supporting user behavior through usability, usefulness, and desirability in the interaction with a product, spanning the entire user journey rather than only the visual layer.

Design thinking phases

Empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The phases are iterative, so teams return to earlier stages whenever new evidence changes the understanding of the problem.

POUR accessibility principles

Perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust: the four WCAG principles. Normal text needs a 4.5:1 contrast ratio, large text needs 3:1.

Universal vs equity-focused design

Universal design creates one solution usable by the widest range of people without adaptation. Equity-focused design deliberately targets groups historically underrepresented in product decisions.

Product development lifecycle

Brainstorming, definition, design, development, and launch. UX work concentrates in definition and design but continues through launch and post-launch iteration.

Primary vs secondary research

Primary research is data you collect yourself, such as interviews. Secondary research uses existing sources like reports and studies. Both can be qualitative or quantitative.

Qualitative vs quantitative data

Qualitative data explains motivations and behaviors, usually from interviews and observation. Quantitative data counts and measures, usually from surveys and analytics.

Empathy map quadrants

Says, thinks, does, and feels, organized around a central persona. The map synthesizes what research participants actually revealed rather than inventing user traits.

Problem statement formula

A structure: persona name is a user characteristic who needs a user need because of an insight. It focuses the problem without prescribing a solution.

Hypothesis statement formula

If persona performs an action, then an outcome occurs, because of a rationale. It turns an assumption into something a prototype or study can test.

User journey map

A visualization of a user's actions, thoughts, and emotions across phases over time, highlighting pain points and opportunities at each stage of the experience.

UX research plan contents

Project background, research goals, research questions, target participant characteristics, method and protocol, and timeline. It aligns stakeholders before data collection begins.

Information architecture structures

Hierarchical organizes content in a tree, sequential guides linear steps, and matrix offers several paths to the same content. Structure choice follows user tasks.

Wireframe vs storyboard

A wireframe shows the layout and hierarchy of a single screen. A storyboard sketches a sequence showing how a user experiences the product over time.

Happy path and edge cases

The happy path is the ideal flow with no errors. Edge cases include empty states, error states, loading states, and unusually long content that break naive layouts.

Low-fidelity prototype purpose

It tests concept, flow, and structure before visual polish exists, so participant feedback targets navigation and clarity instead of colors and typography.

Prototype interaction types

Navigation moves between screens, micro-interactions change state in place, and gesture-driven interactions respond to swipes or drags. Each hotspot needs a clear destination.

Moderated vs unmoderated studies

Moderated studies let a facilitator probe and clarify, producing richer insight. Unmoderated studies run without a facilitator, giving scale and speed at the cost of depth.

Five-user rule

Roughly five participants reveal about 85 percent of usability problems in one design. Several small iterative rounds find more than one large study.

Usability metrics

Task success rate, time on task, error rate, and satisfaction scores such as the Single Ease Question. Report qualitative observations alongside these counts.

Affinity diagramming

Clustering individual observations into themed groups to reveal patterns, then writing insights that explain why each pattern appears and what it means.

Informed consent in research

Participants must understand the study purpose and risks, agree voluntarily, know they can withdraw, and have their data kept private and reported anonymously.

Frame vs group in Figma

A frame is a layout container with constraints that can be prototyped. A group is only a selection of layers and cannot serve as a prototype screen.

Auto layout

A Figma property that sets direction, spacing, padding, and resizing rules so a frame or component adapts to its content instead of using manual positioning.

Component instance overrides

Instances inherit a master component but can override text, color, and nested component swaps. Detaching breaks the link and stops future master updates from propagating.

Component variants

A set of related states such as default, hover, pressed, and disabled grouped into one component. Variants drive interactive prototyping through change-to actions.

Smart animate

A Figma prototype animation that interpolates between two frames whose layers share matching names. Unmatched layer names fall back to a dissolve transition.

Responsive vs adaptive design

Responsive layouts fluidly adapt to any viewport width. Adaptive design serves distinct fixed layouts at predefined breakpoints, switching rather than flowing.

Breakpoints

Viewport widths where layout rules change. Common ranges are mobile 0 to 599, tablet 600 to 1023, and desktop 1024 and above in pixels.

Mobile-first CSS

Base styles target the smallest screen, and media queries with min-width add complexity as space grows. This forces prioritization of essential content.

rem vs px units

rem scales with the root font size and respects user zoom and font preferences. px is absolute. Use rem for type and spacing in accessible layouts.

STAR interview method

Situation, task, action, result. Behavioral answers describe the context, your responsibility, what you did, and the measurable outcome you achieved.