Hotjar is a powerful user behaviour analytics tool that offers free and paid plans.

Here are five main advantages of the paid version over the free version:

1. Increased Data Collection Limits

• Free: Limited to 35 daily sessions for heat maps and recordings.
• Paid: Higher session limits (e.g., 500–15,000 daily sessions, depending on the plan), allowing for deeper insights across more users.

2. Advanced Heat maps & Recordings

• Free: Basic heatmaps and up to 35 daily recordings with limited filtering.
• Paid: More detailed heatmaps with engagement zones and scroll tracking, plus unlimited or higher recording limits with advanced filtering (e.g., by device, page, or user behavior).

3. Deeper Survey & Feedback Features

• Free: Basic surveys with limited responses and question types.
• Paid: More customisation options, logic-based questions, targeting by user behavior, and removal of Hotjar branding.

4. Team Collaboration & Integrations

• Free: Limited to one user and few integrations.
• Paid: Multiple users, role-based access, Slack, HubSpot, Google Analytics, and more integrations, enabling team-wide insights and automated workflows.

5. Enhanced Data Retention & Analysis

• Free: Data stored for 30 days (heatmaps and recordings).
• Paid: Up to 365 days of data retention, plus exportable reports and access to AI-driven insights for trend analysis.

 

The SMART framework is a goal-setting method that ensures objectives are clear and achievable. It stands for:

1. Specific – Clearly define what you want to accomplish. Be precise about the goal.
2. Measurable – Set criteria to track progress and determine when the goal is achieved.
3. Achievable – Ensure the goal is realistic and attainable within your resources and constraints.
4. Relevant – Align the goal with broader objectives, making sure it matters to you or your organization.
5. Time-bound – Set a deadline to create urgency and maintain focus.

For example, instead of saying “Improve UX skills,” a SMART goal would be:
“Complete an advanced UX course within three months and apply the concepts to two real-world projects.”

 

Hick’s Law

Hick’s Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. This principle highlights the importance of breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks to reduce cognitive load and decision-making time.

How Hick’s Law Supports Steppers

• Simplification of Choices: A stepper divides a large, overwhelming process into clear, sequential steps. Users focus only on the current step, minimizing decision fatigue.
• Guided Navigation: By providing a visual representation of progress, steppers reduce uncertainty, helping users understand the scope of the process and where they are within it.
• Reduced Cognitive Load: Instead of presenting all fields or options at once, steppers allow users to process one step at a time, aligning with Hick’s Law to make the process feel less daunting.

Supporting Example

For instance, in a multi-step checkout process, a stepper can guide users through stages like:

1. Cart Review
2. Shipping Information
3. Payment Details
4. Confirmation

This structure helps users make decisions more confidently without feeling overwhelmed, directly aligning with Hick’s Law.

 

 

1. Hick’s Law: The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices available, so simplifying options enhances usability.
2. Fitts’ Law: The time required to move to a target is a function of the target size and distance, meaning larger and closer targets are easier and faster to hit.
3. Miller’s Law: The average person can hold 7±2 items in their working memory, suggesting that design should avoid overloading users with too much information at once.
4. Jackson’s Law: The time and effort required to perform a task are directly proportional to the complexity of the system, advocating for simpler systems to enhance efficiency.
5. Aesthetic Usability Effect: Users perceive more aesthetically pleasing designs as easier to use, even if the functionality is unchanged.
6. Pareto Principle: Also known as the 80/20 rule, it suggests that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, encouraging focus on the most impactful areas.
7. Law of Proximity: Elements that are close to each other are perceived as being more related than elements that are spaced farther apart, aiding in visual organization.
8. Tesler’s Law: Also known as the law of conservation of complexity, it states that for any system, there is a certain amount of complexity that cannot be reduced, and it should be managed thoughtfully.
9. Zeigarnik Effect: People remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, highlighting the importance of maintaining user engagement.
10. Peak-End Rule: People judge an experience based on how they felt at its peak (most intense point) and at its end, rather than the total experience, emphasizing the importance of creating strong and positive final impressions.

These laws guide UX designers in creating experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and emotionally satisfying.

Skipping Scrum meeting:

Good morning all.

  ❌ Skipping stand-up this morning - Nothing to report

I have no:

No blockers 
No outstanding tasks
🛑 I am currently blocked

I am currently working on:
In Progress - [Jira task]
🛑 Blocked - [Waiting for feedback]

Yesterday I worked on on:
In Progress - [Jira task]
🛑 Blocked - [Waiting for feedback]

Please loop me in if I can help.
Thanks 😊

Assigning tasks:

Hi [name],
As per our conversation

1. Can you get [xxx done]
2. Can you get [xxx done]

Thanks 😊

Here’s a basic framework for a discovery workshop:

1.  Introduction (15-30 mins)
   1. Welcome and introductions
   2. Ice-breaker exercises to stimulate creative thinking
   3. Set the tone for collaboration
   4. Overview of workshop objectives and agenda
2. Context Setting (30-45 mins)
   1. Discuss business goals
   2. Review existing research and data
   3. Understand user needs and pain points
3. Stakeholder Interviews (60-90 mins)
   1. Conduct interviews with key stakeholders
   2. Gather insights and perspectives
4. User Persona Creation (60-90 mins)
   1. Develop user personas based on gathered data
   2. Identify primary and secondary user groups
5. User Journey Mapping (60-90 mins)
   1. Map out the current user journey
   2. Identify pain points and opportunities
6. Ideation Session (60-90 mins)
   1. Brainstorm solutions to identified problems
   2. Prioritize ideas and potential features
7. Wrap-Up and Next Steps (30-45 mins)
   1. Summarize key findings and decisions
   2. Outline next steps and action items