# Techniques ### **Turn methods into momentum** Design debates often stall when teams argue opinions. Techniques break that cycle. They are the tactical moves that turn assumptions into structured data you can trust. Most teams already know the names — card sorting, first-click tests, usability studies. The problem is they run them as one-offs, disconnected from UX metrics. The data sounds interesting but rarely supports a decision later. Glare fixes this by anchoring each technique to the metrics it produces. That connection is what makes captured data credible and the signal it later produces traceable. Each technique below links to its own landing page with full guidance, examples, and step-by-step instructions. ## **How to Choose a Technique** Start with the mode, not the method. The three modes of learning determine which group of techniques to reach for.

Mode	When	Technique Groups to Use
Exploratory	Early discovery, before clear hypotheses.	Navigation, Feedback
Evaluative	Mid-cycle, testing ideas or designs.	Task, Behavior
Comparative	Choosing between versions or directions.	Comparison, Behavior

Once the mode is clear, and you have named where you will reach the audience (see Sources in References), match the specific question to the technique that is built to answer it. ### **Five-Step Usage Discipline** Apply this to every technique, regardless of which one you choose: - Pick the metric. What do you want to measure — completion, comprehension, desirability? - Choose the technique. Match the method to the metric, not the other way around. - Run lean. Small samples often surface clear data. Five users can reveal major friction. - Pair techniques. Task Success plus Time on Task captures both whether users finish and how hard it felt. - Document against the metric. Capture results in terms of the UX metric, not raw output, so Situations can read them as a signal. ### **Traps to Avoid** - Running without a metric. A card sort is just boxes unless it is tied to comprehension or usability. - One-and-done. Techniques work best in layers. A single test rarely captures the whole story. - Overcomplicating sample sizes. More participants do not always mean more signal. Match sample size to the confidence the decision requires. - Reporting raw counts. A percentage is usable. A list of observations is not. ## **Navigation** Navigation techniques capture how users understand and move through information. Use them when designing or auditing structure, labels, or taxonomy.

Technique	What It Measures	UX Metrics
Card Sorting	How users group and label content. Reveals mental models and expectations about information structure.	Comprehension, Expectations
Tree Testing	Whether users can find content within a defined navigation structure, without visual design as a cue.	Comprehension, Success Rate, Expectations

### **Task** Task techniques measure whether users can complete specific goals. They are the most direct evidence of whether a design works.

Technique	What It Measures	UX Metrics
First Click Testing	Whether users instinctively start a task in the right place. Correct first click predicts 87% task completion.	Success Rate, Comprehension, Desirability
Task Success Rate	Whether users complete the intended task. Successful completions divided by total attempts.	Completion, Comprehension, Drop-Off
Time on Task	How long users take to complete a task. Paired with Task Success Rate, captures effort alongside completion.	Efficiency, Success Rate

## **Comparison** Comparison techniques measure which version, message, or direction performs better. Use them when a decision between options needs proof, not preference.

Technique	What It Measures	UX Metrics
A/B Testing	Which of two live versions performs better on a single variable change.	Conversion Rate, Bounce Rate, Engagement
Multivariate Testing	Which combination of page elements performs best together.	CTR, Comprehension, Desirability
Conversion Rate Analysis	Whether users complete the goal action at the end of a defined funnel.	Success Rate, Drop-Off, Desirability

## **Behavior** Behavior techniques show what users actually do at scale. They capture patterns that individual sessions miss but cannot explain the reasoning behind them.

Technique	What It Measures	UX Metrics
Heatmaps	Where users focus attention and click on a page. Captures what draws engagement and what gets missed.	Desirability, CTR, Comprehension
Clickstream Analysis	How users navigate through a multi-step flow, including where they detour, backtrack, or drop off.	Drop-Off, Efficiency, Frequency
Web Analytics	Site-wide health and trends at scale. Captures what is happening across the full experience over time.	Session Duration, Bounce Rate, Conversion Rate

## **Feedback** Feedback techniques capture what users say, feel, and perceive. They are the attitudinal layer that behavioral data alone cannot provide.

Technique	What It Measures	UX Metrics
Surveys & Questionnaires	What users think, feel, and expect at scale. Works across discovery, post-task, and longitudinal tracking.	Usefulness, Satisfaction, Loyalty
Eye Tracking	Where users look, what they see first, and what they miss entirely. Captures visual attention that click data cannot.	Comprehension, Efficiency, Visual Attention

### **Proof in Practice** A university team was split on a navigation redesign. Meetings stalled. Everyone had a different opinion and no one had data. They ran a First Click Test through Helio, measuring comprehension. Within hours they had captured structured comparison data on the hamburger menu, documented with technique, audience, and metrics. Once Situations read that data, the team could see a 14 percent usability improvement — and the argument was over. One test captured the data that replaced weeks of debate. That is what a technique does when it is connected to the right metric. ### **Business Impact** - Techniques produce structured data in days, not months, keeping projects moving. - Metric-anchored capture gives Situations something measurable to read as a signal. - Paired techniques capture both what happened and what users reported, making the eventual signal defensible. - Lean testing prevents wasted cycles before problems compound downstream. ### **Quick Checklist** - Did you start with a metric, not just a method? - Did you choose the technique that matches your mode? - Did you pair techniques where one alone is not enough? - Did you run lean to keep speed? - Did you document results against a UX metric, not as raw data?