HEART Framework

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HEART is a framework from Google’s research team for measuring user-experience quality. Instead of a vague “satisfaction” number, it uses five dimensions, and for each dimension you define a goal, a signal, and a metric.

The five dimensions

  • Happiness: perceived satisfaction and ease — for example a survey score or NPS.
  • Engagement: depth and intensity of use — for example actions per week.
  • Adoption: starting to use a new product or feature — for example the share of people who used it at least once.
  • Retention: coming back in a given window — for example next-week active users.
  • Task success: completing the core job — success rate, time on task, user error.

HEART + Goals-Signals-Metrics

For each dimension that actually applies to your product (you do not need all five at once):

  1. Goal: what change in behavior or feeling do you want?
  2. Signal: what observation would show you are getting closer?
  3. Metric: how do you turn that signal into a number you can track?

HEART focuses on experience quality; AARRR focuses on the growth funnel. Teams often use both: HEART says how good the use is, AARRR says how people move through the funnel.

Further reading: Google’s HEART research and product metrics.