When I first started working in user experience, I was eager to quantify every insight I gathered. It seemed logical: if something is important, it should be measurable. But over time, I realized that not every UX insight fits neatly into a metric. Some insights lose their meaning or even mislead when forced into numbers. This post shares why some UX insights should remain qualitative and how turning them into metrics can sometimes do more harm than good. Why Some UX Insights

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first encountered AI confidence scores, I assumed they worked just like the confidence levels I learned about in research studies. It seemed natural to think that a high AI confidence score meant the same thing as a high confidence interval in scientific research. Over time, I realized this assumption was misleading. The two concepts serve different purposes and come from very different processes. Understanding these differences c

Balancing user experience metrics often feels like walking a tightrope. I’ve faced this challenge many times, trying to improve one aspect of a product only to see another suffer. Speed, quality, and satisfaction are key metrics that often pull in different directions. When they conflict, it’s tempting to pick one and ignore the rest, but that rarely leads to the best outcome. Instead, understanding how to navigate these trade-offs can help create a more balanced and effectiv

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working on digital products, I noticed something troubling. Teams often postponed fixing user experience problems, thinking they could handle them later. But those small issues piled up, creating what I now understand as UX debt. Like financial debt, UX debt grows over time and can seriously hurt a product’s success. That’s why measuring UX debt with clear metrics is essential. It helps teams see the real cost of ign

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working in user experience, I was eager to measure everything. I believed that turning every insight into a metric would help prove the value of UX work and guide product decisions. But over time, I learned that not all UX insights fit neatly into numbers. Some insights lose their meaning or even mislead when forced into metrics. This post shares why some UX insights should stay qualitative and how to decide what to

When I first started working on improving website performance, I focused mainly on design tweaks and A/B testing. But I quickly realized that without understanding how users actually interact with a site, those changes often missed the mark. That’s when I turned to UX research as a foundation for conversion rate optimization (CRO). The results transformed how I approached improving user experiences and boosting conversions. In this post, I want to share how UX research can d

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working in user experience, I was thrilled to see positive trends in our metrics. Every report showed growth: higher engagement, better task completion rates, and improved satisfaction scores. It felt like we were on the right path. But over time, I realized that when all metrics improve simultaneously without clear reasons, it often signals a problem rather than success. This phenomenon is called metric inflation,

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working with product teams, I noticed a common problem: the way UX research metrics and business KPIs were handled often caused confusion and misalignment. Teams would focus heavily on UX data without connecting it to business goals, or they would chase KPIs without understanding the user experience behind the numbers. This disconnect slows progress and leads to missed opportunities. In this post, I want to share wha

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working in user experience, I often found myself overwhelmed by the wealth of qualitative data collected from interviews, usability tests, and open-ended surveys. These rich stories and observations revealed what users felt and thought, but I struggled to translate them into numbers that could guide design decisions or measure progress. Over time, I learned how to turn those qualitative insights into clear, trackable

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working on user experience (UX) projects, I often found myself reacting to problems after they had already affected users. It felt like I was always putting out fires instead of preventing them. Over time, I realized that the key to better UX was to build early-warning metrics based on solid research. These metrics help spot issues before they escalate, allowing teams to act quickly and improve the product continuous

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When I first started working with user experience (UX) metrics, I believed every key performance indicator (KPI) was essential and worth tracking indefinitely. Over time, I learned that some metrics lose their value as products evolve, user behaviors shift, or business goals change. Holding on to outdated KPIs can cloud decision-making and waste resources. Knowing when to retire or "sunset" a UX metric is just as important as choosing th

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When starting a new product or feature, it’s tempting to jump straight into designing screens and wireframes. But I’ve learned that measuring the right things before any design exists can save time, reduce costly mistakes, and guide the team toward building something users truly need. Early discovery is about understanding problems, behaviors, and opportunities before visuals take shape. In this post, I’ll share the key UX metrics you ca

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When teams work on improving user experience, they often face a common challenge: too many metrics pulling them in different directions. This scatter can slow progress and create confusion about what really matters. I learned early in my UX career that focusing on a single, clear metric can transform how a team collaborates and delivers value. This metric is often called the North Star UX metric . It acts as a guiding light, helping ever

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader When launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the goal is not to deliver a polished, final product but to learn quickly and validate assumptions. Many teams focus on traditional UX metrics like task completion rates or time on task, which measure performance. But for MVPs, these metrics can miss the point. Instead, tracking learning-focused UX metrics helps teams understand user behavior, uncover pain points, and iterate effectively. I’

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Call centers often face high call volumes that strain resources and increase support costs. Many of these calls come from users struggling to navigate websites or apps. Improving user experience (UX) can reduce these calls by making digital interactions smoother and more intuitive. This post explores how UX improvements lower call center volume and support costs, with practical examples and clear benefits. Customer service desk with clea

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Understanding user experience (UX) metrics is crucial for making informed design decisions. However, raw numbers alone can be misleading without a sense of their reliability. Confidence intervals provide a way to express the uncertainty around UX measurements, helping teams understand how much trust to place in their data. This post explains how to build confidence intervals for UX metrics, making your analysis clearer and more actionabl

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Understanding how users interact with a product or service is essential for making smart business choices. UX metrics provide clear, measurable data that reveal how well a design meets user needs. When used correctly, these metrics can guide strategic decisions that improve customer satisfaction, increase engagement, and boost overall success. This post explores how to use UX metrics effectively to shape strategy. It covers key types of

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader User experience (UX) research often generates valuable insights, but connecting those insights directly to business outcomes remains a challenge for many organizations. Without clear key performance indicators (KPIs), UX efforts risk being seen as abstract or disconnected from company goals. This post explains how to build KPIs that link UX research to measurable business impact, helping teams demonstrate the value of their work and guid

User experience (UX) plays a crucial role in the success of any product or service. Measuring UX effectively helps teams understand how users perceive their offerings and identify areas for improvement. The UMUX-Lite (Usability Metric for User Experience - Lite) is a concise and reliable tool designed to benchmark user experience quickly and efficiently. This post explores the UMUX-Lite benchmarking template, explaining its purpose, structure, and practical applications. UMUX

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader Understanding how much mental effort a person uses during a task is crucial for designing better learning experiences, improving user interfaces, and enhancing workplace productivity. Traditionally, time on task has served as a simple way to estimate cognitive load. However, relying solely on how long someone spends on a task can be misleading. This post explores why measuring cognitive load requires more than just tracking time and off