What is the HEART framework: Template and guide

HEART Framework: Template and Guide

The HEART framework is a unique approach for assessing features and products from the user perspective. It consists of five key areas: Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success. By evaluating these areas, you can better understand and optimize the user experience.

Areas of the HEART Framework

1. Happiness: Assessing user satisfaction and understanding the value they find in the product or feature.

2. Engagement: Determining whether users are actively using and interacting with the product on a regular basis.

3. Adoption: Evaluating how well users are discovering and understanding the product or feature.

4. Retention: Measuring user retention and whether users continue to use the product over time.

5. Task Success: Assessing how successfully users are able to accomplish their goals or tasks within the product.

Verticals of the HEART Framework

Each area of the HEART framework can be broken down into three elements:

1. Goals: Defining the desired outcomes or success metrics for each area.

2. Metrics: Identifying specific measurements and proxies that can be used to track and measure success.

3. Signals: Indicators that suggest users are achieving the desired goals or outcomes.

HEART Assessment Example

Let's imagine you are a product manager for an EdTech product that recently introduced a new flashcard revision module. Here's an example of how you could apply the HEART framework to evaluate the user experience:

1. Happiness:

   • Goal: Ensure users find joy and satisfaction in using the flashcard module.
   • Signals: Users sharing app content with friends, creating fun social media content related to the product.
   • Metrics: Tracking the frequency of shares and mentions of the product on social media platforms.

2. Engagement:

   • Goal: Encourage users to regularly practice their language skills with the flashcard module.
   • Signals: Users practicing language skills consistently and engaging in long practice sessions.
   • Metrics: Monitoring the frequency and duration of user sessions in the flashcard module.

3. Adoption:

   • Goal: Help users discover and understand the value of the flashcard module.
   • Signals: Users actively exploring and utilizing the flashcard module.
   • Metrics: Tracking the number of users who access the module and the frequency of usage.

4. Retention:

   • Goal: Ensure users continue to use the flashcard module over time.
   • Signals: Users consistently returning to the module and incorporating it into their language learning routine.
   • Metrics: Monitoring user retention rates and measuring the number of sessions per user over an extended period.

5. Task Success:

   • Goal: Ensure users can effectively use the flashcard module to revise and reinforce their language skills.
   • Signals: Users successfully completing flashcard exercises and demonstrating improved language proficiency.
   • Metrics: Tracking the completion rate of flashcard exercises and conducting assessments of language proficiency.

By applying the HEART framework, you can gain valuable insights into the user experience and identify opportunities for improvement to create a more engaging and successful product.