# Collecting

Define how you capture structured data from your audience.Every design decision needs something to stand on. Collecting is where that foundation gets built — not by interpreting data, but by capturing it well enough that interpretation can happen later.User Needs names what users are trying to do. Audience defines who you are learning from, and how much each source can be trusted. Collecting is the step that reaches those people and turns their behavior, reactions, and perceptions into structured data. The input may be qualitative or quantitative. The goal is always the same: repeatable, structured, documented data that any block downstream can rely on.Collecting is the discipline that keeps that foundation honest. It is not about gathering more data. It is about capturing the right data, from the right people, in the right place, at the right time — and documenting how it was captured so the signal it produces later can be trusted.What This Block CoversCollecting is organized into seven sections, each with a specific job:SectionWhat It DoesOverviewExplains what Collecting is, where it sits in Define, and how it connects to User Needs, Audience, and Situations.TechniquesCovers the 12 collection techniques: when to use each, what UX metrics they produce, and how to pair them.PlaybookProvides the four-step collection process with decision guidance, prompts, inputs, outputs, and the Define → Capture cadence.ReferencesProvides the Sources catalog, the Research Stacks catalog, the Tools framework, named instruments, and Design Stacks by context.ExamplesShows realistic collection situations, near-miss cases, and common traps that help teams recognize when a technique, source, or stack is the right fit.DecisionsHelps teams identify their situation, determine where to start, and choose the next step that reduces uncertainty.Agent OperationsDefines how AI Skills behave operationally through routing logic, confidence rules, escalation handling, output contracts, and ambiguity resolution.What Collecting SolvesMost teams collect too much, too late, or from whoever is easiest to reach. They fill dashboards no one reads, or run studies on a convenient panel that never represented the audience the decision depended on. The result is the same: data that looks like evidence but cannot be trusted, reused, or traced.Collecting with intent is different. It starts with a clear question, reaches a defined audience through a source that can actually represent them, and uses a method that produces structured data you can act on. The data is documented well enough that anyone who was not in the room can see how it was captured.Undocumented capture is worse than no data, because it produces confidence without a foundation. Structured capture is what lets Situations turn data into a signal later without guessing where it came from.What Kind of Feedback Are You Capturing?Different feedback types serve different purposes. A strong collection approach mixes several so you can see the whole picture — what users do, think, feel, and say.Feedback TypeWhat It CapturesTechniques and ToolsView user dataBehavior patterns and usage metrics.Analytics, clickstream, heatmaps.See what users doTask flows and completion outcomes.Task success testing, first-click, tree testing, time on task.Sense what users likeVisual attention and emotional response.Desirability studies, emotion tagging, satisfaction surveys, post-task reflection.Hear what users sayOpinions, expectations, and reactions.Surveys, interviews, in-product prompts, video feedback.Pair at least two types on any collection effort. Behavioral evidence captures what happened. Attitudinal evidence captures what users reported. Neither is interpreted here — both are captured so Situations can read them together.The Define → Capture CadenceEvery collection effort in Glare follows the same rhythm:Clarify what you need to learn and why. Pair the user need with the business goal. Name the audience and the source. Write the hypothesis.Choose the right stack, approach, and technique. Run it lean. Capture observable behavior, perception, or performance — and document how it was captured.Collecting ends at Capture. The next beat, Connect, is where Situations begins: connecting captured data to the conditions that produced it, and to the metrics and decisions it informs. The cadence does not stop at the block boundary — it crosses it.Three Modes of LearningEvery collection effort fits one of three modes. Modes represent the mindset behind the research, not just the method chosen.ModeWhen to UseCore QuestionWhat You CaptureExploratoryEarly discovery, before clear hypotheses.What should we be solving or improving?Context, behaviors, and unmet needs.EvaluativeMid-cycle, once ideas or designs exist.Does this design work for users?Comprehension, completion, and usability data.ComparativeLater, when choosing between options.Which version performs or communicates better?Comparative performance and preference data.Modes define the type of learning. Sources define where you reach the audience. Stacks define what you collect against. Techniques define how. The full process is in Playbook.Proof in PracticeA university team was stuck on a navigation decision. Meetings circled for weeks. Everyone had an opinion. Nothing moved.The team defined their intent, paired it with a business goal around reducing support requests, named the audience, and chose a source that could reach them quickly: a preference test run through Helio. Within hours, they had captured structured comparison data on two navigation options, documented with technique, audience, and metrics.That captured data is what ended the debate — once Situations read it as a signal and the team could see which option users understood faster. Collecting got the right data in hand, fast and traceable. That is what Collecting does.Business ImpactFaster, well-sourced capture shortens feedback loops and keeps projects moving.Structured data builds design credibility because anyone can see how it was captured.Documented sources give every downstream signal a foundation it can be traced back to.Reaching the right audience through the right source prevents confident, wrong conclusions.Collecting is the foundation of measurable design confidence. Every dataset captured well is a small act of momentum.Where Collecting Sits in DefineCollecting is the third block in the Define area, sitting between Audience and Situations. User Needs and Audience tell you what to learn and who to learn it from. Collecting is how you actually go reach them and capture the data. Situations is where that captured data gets connected to the conditions that produced it and synthesized into signals.BlockWhat It Focuses OnUser NeedsThe motivations, expectations, and goals that drive behavior.AudienceThe people and contexts you learn from, and how much to trust each source.CollectingReaching the audience and capturing behavior, perception, and reaction as structured data.SituationsConnecting captured data to recurring conditions and synthesizing it into signals that guide decisions.AI PromptThis prompt helps you choose the right research approach and instruments for your specific user need and business goal.Start with a user need and the business outcome you're trying to move. It guides you to:Pair your user need with a business goal and write the collection hypothesisChoose the right stack and mode for your situationMatch techniques and instruments to the metrics you're trackingPlan how findings will be shared at the project, team, and leadership levelYou'll end with a collection plan that's ready to execute, with technique, instrument, and audience all named.Use this before any fieldwork begins to make sure what you collect connects back to a decision.AI SkillsThe Collecting skill file teaches your AI the full five-step collection process and instrument library so it can recommend the right approach for any research situation.Load it when you need to go deeper on instrument selection, balancing the four feedback types, or connecting findings to a leadership-ready sharing format. It gives your AI:The five-step process from intent through to connecting findingsThe Research Stacks catalog with named instruments including SUS, SEQ, CES, and CASTLEThe full Techniques table with metric mappings for every methodThe four-axis tool framework across attitudinal, behavioral, performance, and specialized toolsDownload the skill file below to use the full Collecting framework with your AI assistant.