User experience (UX) isn't just about making things look good, it's about real, measurable impact. If you're not tracking it, you can't improve it - that's where Google's HEART framework comes in.
Developed by Google's UX research team, HEART stands for Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success; it's a structured way to evaluate and optimise your product's UX without getting lost in vanity metrics.
Data only matters if it drives better decisions. But rather than tracking everything, focus on key metrics that align with your goals. Here's how HEART works and how you can use it to enhance your product:
1. Happiness: Understand User Sentiment
Happiness measures user satisfaction through surveys, ratings, or in-app feedback.
One bad review isn't the end of the world, but a downward trend is a red flag. Monitor sentiment over time and pair it with behavioural insights to identify problems early.
2. Engagement: Track Meaningful Interactions
Engagement looks at how often and deeply users interact with your product.
But it's not just making users stay longer - it's about delivering real value. Users should complete key actions that matter. Optimise for meaningful engagement, not just screen time.
3. Adoption: Measure How Quickly Users Find Value
Adoption tracks the number of new users and how fast they embrace new features.
The key is to reduce friction during onboarding, making the first experience seamless so users reach their "aha" moment as soon as possible.
4. Retention: The Key to Long-Term Growth
Retention shows how many users keep coming back.
It's one of the best indicators of long-term success. If users drop off quickly, they're not finding ongoing value. Fix that before spending more on user acquisition.
5. Task Success: Prioritise Efficiency
Task Success measures how well users complete key actions, considering speed, accuracy, and error rates.
Pair this data with qualitative insights like usability testing. If users struggle, don't just add more tooltips - fix the underlying issues.
How to Implement HEART in 3 Steps:
1. Set Clear Goals: Define what success looks like (e.g. faster onboarding, improved retention, increased feature adoption).
2. Identify Key Signals: Determine which user behaviours indicate sucess or failure.
3. Define the Right Metrics: Link behaviours to HEART metrics. For example, if your goal is faster onboarding, track the time to the first key action.
The Bottom Line:
Google's teams use HEART to gain user-centric, data-backed insights. If you decide to implement it, don't track everything - focus on the metrics that truly impact your product or service.
User actions tell you what's working and what's not. Pay attention to the data, make informed decisions, and iterate quickly to create a better experience.
