Measuring UX in an Enterprise context using the HEART Framework (part 1)

Note: This post is the first in a series where I will explore the five concepts that make up the HEART framework and apply them to an Enterprise UX context.

The phrase Enterprise Software might conjure many images in your head. Large, legacy systems, waterfall projects, organizational silos, complicated UIs that feel dated, a disconnect between decision-makers and end-users… The list goes on!

Thankfully, modern digital organizations are breaking the stereotypes by recognizing the importance of great UX in enterprise tools and its impact on employee productivity and job satisfaction. We are seeing huge investments in the resources required to bring agility and user-centricity to the heart of digital product development activities.

The challenge in measuring the ROI of Enterprise UX

The special challenge that faces designers that work in an Enterprise context is proving the value of UX activities. Online retailers or SaaS companies compete in an open market where their product’s UX can be a brand differentiator or part of their unique value proposition. Quantitative data gathered using analytics tools is, therefore, the foundation for making decisions in these types of organizations.

Enterprise UX Designers are essentially designing for a captive audience

On the other hand, in-house Enterprise UX designers are designing for internal users; you can describe these people as a captive audience. These users will generally have no alternative but to use the tools that their employer provides. With that fact in mind, the value of user analytics (with popular metrics such as bounce rate and time-on-page) in an Enterprise context is not immediately obvious.

Adapting the HEART Framework for enterprise contexts

Google’s HEART framework was developed in 2010 and provides a structured way of identifying user-centred metrics that reflect different aspects of a product’s user experience. These metrics can be used to measure progress towards key business goals, create focus, prioritize and aid decision-making. The acronym stands for Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success.

Here is how I have interpreted and adapted the HEART framework to fit an Enterprise UX context.

Happiness metrics

Happiness in the framework encompasses metrics that measure users’ perceptions and attitudes towards a product or a specific feature.

In an enterprise context, this is a fascinating dimension to explore! The digital tools people use in their daily work have a significant impact on their productivity, effectiveness and job satisfaction.

Classic examples of “Happiness” metrics are CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) and NPS (Net Promoter Score). I would argue, however, that NPS is an entirely unsuitable metric when working with software developed in-house for internal users.

Other good inspiration for happiness metrics are questions from standard UX questionnaires that measure ease of use, aesthetics, and trustworthiness. Some examples are:

• System Usability Score (SUS)
• Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX)
• Single Ease Question (SEQ)
• After Scenario Questionnaire (ASQ)
• Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
• Product Market Fit (PFT)

Happiness Question Examples

I’ve compiled a long list of questions that can be used in an in-product questionnaire to measure Happiness on a product or feature level.

The list comes with a caveat: to gather actionable data, you need to tailor your questionnaire to what your product team is trying to learn, your business goals, and your user’s goals. Otherwise, you risk falling into the vanity metric trap.

With that caveat out of the way, here is the list of questions:

When creating your questionnaire, think about how you want to use the data you collect.

Here are some questions to get the wheels turning in your head:

• Is this a one-off evaluation?
• Do you want to get baseline numbers now, and be able to measure and compare performance over time?
• Do you want to compare users’ perceptions of different features within the same product?
• Will you combine ratings to create an overall UX score?
• Are the dimensions of Happiness equally important for evaluating this product/feature (e.g. productivity vs. aesthetics)?

Happy measuring!

I hope this list of questions can serve as inspiration for Product Managers, User Experience Researchers or Product Designers in their research design, and help you think about measuring the user experience of your product in a holistic manner.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this article below! Stay tuned for the next part of the series on applying the HEART framework in an enterprise context, where I will be diving into the Engagement dimension.