The HEART Framework is a user-centred metric system designed to measure and improve the quality of the user experience (UX) in digital products and services. Developed by a team at Google, this framework provides a structured approach to identifying key user experience goals, signals, and metrics for a product or service. HEART stands for Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success, each representing a different aspect of the user experience that can be measured and optimised.
- Happiness: Measures user satisfaction through surveys, feedback, and other qualitative data to understand how users feel about the product or service.
- Engagement: Looks at how actively and frequently users interact with the product or service, using metrics such as session length, frequency of use, and depth of interaction.
- Adoption: Focuses on the number of new users who start using the product or service over a specific period, indicating its ability to attract new users.
- Retention: Measures how many users continue to use the product or service over time, highlighting its long-term value to users.
- Task Success: Evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness with which users can complete specific tasks, using metrics such as error rates, task completion time, and success rates.
The HEART Framework encourages teams to focus on user-centric goals, making it easier to align product development efforts with the needs and expectations of users. By selecting specific metrics for each of the HEART components, teams can gain insights into how changes to the product affect the user experience, enabling them to make informed decisions about design and functionality improvements. This framework not only helps in enhancing the usability and appeal of digital products but also in driving business outcomes by improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.