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Customer Success Collective
What is the HEART framework?
The HEART framework is a user experience (UX) measurement model originally developed by Kerry Rodden, Google’s lead UX researcher. It helps teams evaluate the quality of their product experience by focusing on key user-centered metrics.
Rather than tracking vanity numbers, the HEART framework enables you to measure what really matters to users — their happiness, engagement, adoption, retention, and task success.
This framework is especially useful for product, UX, and design teams seeking a structured way to evaluate and improve digital experiences.
What’s inside the template?
The template breaks down each of the five HEART categories with clear definitions, examples, and measurable metrics:
- Happiness – Attitudinal measures like satisfaction, ease of use, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
- Engagement – Behavioral measures such as session frequency, activity levels, and average time spent.
- Adoption – Tracks how successfully new users onboard and start using key features.
- Retention – Measures churn and customer loyalty over time, helping identify where users drop off.
- Task Success – Evaluates whether users can efficiently and accurately complete their goals.
It also includes a practical Goals–Signals–Metrics (GSM) table showing how to translate objectives into measurable outcomes. For example, adoption can be tracked through sign-up rates and feature usage, while happiness can be measured using survey responses and review scores
How to use the template
- Set clear goals – Identify which aspect of UX matters most for your project (e.g., improving adoption or reducing churn).
- Define your signals – Map goals to observable user actions or attitudes that indicate success or failure.
- Choose your metrics – Convert those signals into quantifiable data points (e.g., completion rates, session lengths).
- Monitor and refine – Track results over time using dashboards, surveys, and analytics tools to identify trends.
- Prioritize effectively – Use insights from HEART to guide design and development decisions, focusing on what drives the most user value.
The HEART Framework empowers teams to combine empathy with data — making UX improvements measurable, actionable, and aligned with business goals.
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