Design teams we learn from
A friendly, no-fluff guide to ux research methods: a complete guide — a simple explanation you can actually use.
A friendly, no-fluff guide to ux research methods: a complete guide.
The simple version
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Beginners often chase tools because tools feel concrete. The actual skill is choosing the right problem, designing a clear path, and testing it with people. Tools just help you make those decisions visible.
Clarity beats novelty. If people understand the next step without thinking, you win. If they pause, the interface is asking them to learn the system instead of letting them act.
Great UX can be boring in the best way. It's predictable, consistent, and focused on the user's goal. The magic is in removing friction, not adding surprises.
The fastest way to learn is to build small, test often, and iterate. One good test is worth a week of debate.
A good UX portfolio is not a gallery. It's evidence of how you think, how you decide, and how you handle constraints.
If you feel overwhelmed, start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you'll use 80% of the time. Read it here: User Experience Basics.
Where beginners get stuck
Don't skip research. Even a 20-minute interview can reveal the real problem, and that saves you days of design work.
Every good workflow ends with feedback. If you aren't getting feedback, you are guessing.
If a term feels fuzzy, check the glossary. It's built for humans, not textbooks. Try Affordance or Information Architecture to see how we explain things.
Want to go deeper? Pick a subtopic and practice it. For example: Empathize or User Interviews.
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Beginners often chase tools because tools feel concrete. The actual skill is choosing the right problem, designing a clear path, and testing it with people. Tools just help you make those decisions visible.
Clarity beats novelty. If people understand the next step without thinking, you win. If they pause, the interface is asking them to learn the system instead of letting them act.
The step-by-step way
Great UX can be boring in the best way. It's predictable, consistent, and focused on the user's goal. The magic is in removing friction, not adding surprises.
The fastest way to learn is to build small, test often, and iterate. One good test is worth a week of debate.
A good UX portfolio is not a gallery. It's evidence of how you think, how you decide, and how you handle constraints.
If you feel overwhelmed, start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you'll use 80% of the time. Read it here: User Experience Basics.
Don't skip research. Even a 20-minute interview can reveal the real problem, and that saves you days of design work.
Every good workflow ends with feedback. If you aren't getting feedback, you are guessing.
If a term feels fuzzy, check the glossary. It's built for humans, not textbooks. Try Affordance or Information Architecture to see how we explain things.
Common mistakes to avoid
Want to go deeper? Pick a subtopic and practice it. For example: Empathize or User Interviews.
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Beginners often chase tools because tools feel concrete. The actual skill is choosing the right problem, designing a clear path, and testing it with people. Tools just help you make those decisions visible.
Clarity beats novelty. If people understand the next step without thinking, you win. If they pause, the interface is asking them to learn the system instead of letting them act.
Great UX can be boring in the best way. It's predictable, consistent, and focused on the user's goal. The magic is in removing friction, not adding surprises.
The fastest way to learn is to build small, test often, and iterate. One good test is worth a week of debate.
A good UX portfolio is not a gallery. It's evidence of how you think, how you decide, and how you handle constraints.
A quick example you can steal
If you feel overwhelmed, start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you'll use 80% of the time. Read it here: User Experience Basics.
Don't skip research. Even a 20-minute interview can reveal the real problem, and that saves you days of design work.
Every good workflow ends with feedback. If you aren't getting feedback, you are guessing.
If a term feels fuzzy, check the glossary. It's built for humans, not textbooks. Try Affordance or Information Architecture to see how we explain things.
Want to go deeper? Pick a subtopic and practice it. For example: Empathize or User Interviews.
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Beginners often chase tools because tools feel concrete. The actual skill is choosing the right problem, designing a clear path, and testing it with people. Tools just help you make those decisions visible.
Tools and templates that help
Clarity beats novelty. If people understand the next step without thinking, you win. If they pause, the interface is asking them to learn the system instead of letting them act.
Great UX can be boring in the best way. It's predictable, consistent, and focused on the user's goal. The magic is in removing friction, not adding surprises.
The fastest way to learn is to build small, test often, and iterate. One good test is worth a week of debate.
A good UX portfolio is not a gallery. It's evidence of how you think, how you decide, and how you handle constraints.
If you feel overwhelmed, start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you'll use 80% of the time. Read it here: User Experience Basics.
Don't skip research. Even a 20-minute interview can reveal the real problem, and that saves you days of design work.
Every good workflow ends with feedback. If you aren't getting feedback, you are guessing.
How this connects to your career
If a term feels fuzzy, check the glossary. It's built for humans, not textbooks. Try Affordance or Information Architecture to see how we explain things.
Want to go deeper? Pick a subtopic and practice it. For example: Empathize or User Interviews.
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Beginners often chase tools because tools feel concrete. The actual skill is choosing the right problem, designing a clear path, and testing it with people. Tools just help you make those decisions visible.
Clarity beats novelty. If people understand the next step without thinking, you win. If they pause, the interface is asking them to learn the system instead of letting them act.
Great UX can be boring in the best way. It's predictable, consistent, and focused on the user's goal. The magic is in removing friction, not adding surprises.
The fastest way to learn is to build small, test often, and iterate. One good test is worth a week of debate.
What to do next
A good UX portfolio is not a gallery. It's evidence of how you think, how you decide, and how you handle constraints.
If you feel overwhelmed, start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you'll use 80% of the time. Read it here: User Experience Basics.
Don't skip research. Even a 20-minute interview can reveal the real problem, and that saves you days of design work.
Every good workflow ends with feedback. If you aren't getting feedback, you are guessing.
If a term feels fuzzy, check the glossary. It's built for humans, not textbooks. Try Affordance or Information Architecture to see how we explain things.
Want to go deeper? Pick a subtopic and practice it. For example: Empathize or User Interviews.
UX is less about screens and more about decisions. The core question is always the same: can a real person finish a real task without friction? If yes, you are doing UX. If not, you are decorating the problem.
Related guides
Workshops to go deeper
Feeling overwhelmed?
Start with the mega-guide. It gives you the 80% of UX you’ll use 80% of the time.
Read it here: User Experience Basics →