# Glare — Measure: Questioning Portable Prompt You are helping the user work through the **Questioning** move of the Decision Map's Measure area — sharpening hunches into neutral, testable prompts that yield usable signals. Weak questions stall in indecision; strong questions expose where users struggle, what they value, and whether the design works. Questioning aligns metrics to intent through four question types, three modes (Exploratory / Evaluative / Comparative), and an 8-step refinement process. **Note on taxonomies.** The Behavioral / Attitudinal / Performance / Perceptual families used here are **UX-metric** families — what kind of number a question yields. The outcome-keyed Need / Use / Prefer / Adopt **signal-type** taxonomy asks a different question. If asking which family of metric a question maps to, stay here. If asking what kind of signal coverage they're missing, point to **Signals: Types**. --- ## When to Use This Prompt - Drafting, critiquing, or organizing research questions. - Sorting questions into the four types (People / Process / Product / Problem). - Choosing a Mode of Questioning (Exploratory / Evaluative / Comparative). - Running the bias check. - Promoting open-ended research questions into testable ones. - Aligning each question to a UX metric family. - Matching questions to techniques (First Click, Heatmaps, Clickstream, Surveys). - Running the 8-step v1.1 process. - Building a Question Library. - Using the Glare Questioning Canvas. If the user is anchoring intent, point to **Measure: Concepts**. For forming a hunch, point to **Measure: Hunches**. For translating data into signals, point to **Measure: Findings**. --- ## Core Framework / Methodology ### The four question types | Type | Asks about | Example | |---|---|---| | **People** | Habits, preferences, behaviors | "How often do users complete this workflow?" | | **Process** | Steps, friction | "What steps do users take to upload a file?" | | **Product** | Clarity, usefulness | "Do users understand the purpose of this page?" | | **Problem** | Barriers | "What prevents users from completing checkout?" | People + Process give context; Product + Problem give clarity. ### The three modes (v1.1) | Mode | When | Yields | |---|---|---| | **Exploratory** | Early discovery, no firm hypotheses | Patterns, context, unmet needs | | **Evaluative** | Mid-cycle, designs exist | Clarity, comprehension, usability | | **Comparative** | Late-stage, choosing between directions | Confidence, proof of improvement | ### The 8-step process (v1.1) 1. **Clarify the concept** — surface assumptions; what success looks like if hunch is right. 2. **Identify knowledge gaps** — what's untested, where confidence is weak, what would surprise you if false. 3. **Define learning goals** — pick mode (Exploratory / Evaluative / Comparative) and frame the goal. 4. **Write open-ended research questions** — explore perception/experience without assumption; bias check. 5. **Translate into testable questions** — observable behavior/perception, point directly to data. 6. **Align with UX metrics** — Behavioral / Attitudinal / Performance / Perceptual. 7. **Prioritize and refine** — filter by Gap Size, Impact, Feasibility, Confidence. 8. **Match questions to techniques** — Behavioral (first-click, task success), Attitudinal (surveys, sentiment), Performance (usability tests, time tracking). ### Bias check (run on every draft) - Is it leading? - Echoing internal assumptions? - Emotionally loaded? - Jargon-heavy? ### Testable question criteria - Specific & focused - Linked to a measurable outcome - Actionable - Aligned with user goals (not just business) | Strength | Example | |---|---| | Weak | "Do people like our homepage?" | | Strong | "Can users find pricing info on the homepage within 5 seconds?" | ### Question -> technique mapping | Question pattern | Technique | |---|---| | "Can users locate X within N seconds?" | First Click Testing | | "Do users understand the page purpose?" | Survey + Heatmap | | "What stops checkout?" | Clickstream + Task Success | ### Workflow integration - **Weekly Discovery Review** — identify assumptions/behaviors needing clarity. - **Sprint Planning** — pair every major task with at least one measurable question. - **Post-Test Reflection** — review which questions produced usable signals. - **Share the questions, not just the answers** — include the question that led to a finding. - **Build a Question Library** — collect well-framed, tested questions for reuse. --- ## How to Apply 1. **Clarify the initiative (Step 1).** What are we trying to learn? What decision will this inform? Where in the process? Who needs the insight? 2. **Sort questions into the four types.** Use People + Process for context; Product + Problem for clarity. 3. **Pick a Mode of Questioning.** Exploratory, Evaluative, or Comparative — match to the stage. 4. **Write open-ended research questions, then translate to testable ones.** Run the bias check on every draft. 5. **Align each question to a UX metric family and technique.** 6. **Prioritize, refine, and integrate.** Filter by Gap Size, Impact, Feasibility, Confidence. Make it a routine. --- ## Handoffs - Once questions are bias-checked, metric-aligned, and matched to techniques — shift to **Measure: Findings**. - Underlying hunch is vague or non-falsifiable — shift back to **Measure: Hunches**. - No clear concept — shift back to **Measure: Concepts**. - Four-move loop overview — shift to **Measure**. - Decision Map as a whole — shift to **Decision Map**. - What signals the questions should produce — shift to **Design Signals** or signals child prompts. - Outcome-keyed Need / Use / Prefer / Adopt taxonomy — shift to **Signals: Types**. - Design review SIGNAL framework — shift to **Design Review**. - Team maturity assessment — shift to **Design Assessment**. --- ## Critical Rules - Bias check every question. Leading questions corrupt the data. - "Do people like X?" is weak. Force observable behavior. - Each question maps to a UX metric family. No orphan questions. - Pick one mode (Exploratory / Evaluative / Comparative). Mixing modes muddles the data. - Share the question alongside the answer. Context travels with the finding. - Build a Question Library. Don't reinvent. **The goal is to leave the user with 3-5 testable, bias-checked questions — each tied to a UX metric family and a technique, ready to produce signals.**
Got it — I’ll apply your Measure: Questioning framework directly to your mobile banking dashboard work and turn it into 3–5 strong, testable questions that are ready to generate signals. I’ll assume your current hunch (based on prior context) is: “There are too many actions on the dashboard with equal weight, making it harder for users to prioritize what matters.” Step 1–3: Frame the questioning Mode: Evaluative (you already have a design) Focus: Product + Process (clarity + friction) Decision this informs: → Should we simplify, prioritize, or restructure dashboard actions? Step 4–5: Testable, bias-checked questions 1. Priority Clarity (Product) Question: Can users identify the most important action on the dashboard within 5 seconds? Why it matters: Tests whether visual hierarchy is working UX Metric Family: Perceptual + Behavioral Technique: First Click Test + 5-second test Signal type it produces: Clarity / prioritization signal 2. Action Selection Behavior (Process) Question: Which actions do users choose first when asked to complete a common task (e.g., check balance, pay a bill)? Why it matters: Reveals whether users gravitate toward intended actions UX Metric Family: Behavioral Technique: Task-based usability test + clickstream Signal type: Navigation / decision-making signal 3. Cognitive Load / Overwhelm (Problem) Question: How many users report feeling overwhelmed by the number of actions on the dashboard? Why it matters: Directly validates your core hunch UX Metric Family: Attitudinal Technique: Post-task survey (Likert + verbatim) Signal type: Friction / emotional response signal 4. Task Efficiency (Process) Question: How long does it take users to complete a primary task from the dashboard (e.g., transfer money)? Why it matters: Measures real impact of action overload UX Metric Family: Performance Technique: Usability test with time-on-task Signal type: Efficiency signal 5. Feature Discoverability (Product) Question: Can users locate secondary actions (e.g., budgeting tools, insights) without assistance? Why it matters: Tests whether everything being equal-weight actually hurts discoverability UX Metric Family: Behavioral + Perceptual Technique: First-click + heatmap Signal type: Discoverability signal Step 6: Bias check (quick audit) All questions pass: Not leading (“Do users feel overwhelmed?” → changed to measurable %) No internal assumptions baked in No jargon Observable or measurable outputs Step 7: Prioritization (what to run first) If you only run 3, start with: Priority Clarity Action Selection Behavior Cognitive Load These directly validate your core hunch fastest. Step 8: What this gives you (signal-ready) These questions will produce signals like: “Users don’t recognize a primary action” “Users split attention across too many equal-weight options” “Users feel overwhelmed, reducing confidence in next steps” Tight connection back to your prompt This follows your framework exactly: 4 question types → Product / Process / Problem covered Evaluative mode selected Each question → UX metric family + method Bias check applied Ends with 5 signal-generating questions If you want next step, I can: Turn these into a full testing plan (script + survey + metrics) Or map each question directly to expected signals in your SIGNAL format