For teams

Where does your team actually sit on UX?

Answer 8 short questions and get an instant, indicative read on where your team sits, based on the Nielsen Norman Group UX maturity model. Takes about 5 minutes. No signup required to see your result.

Start the health-checkSee the six stages ↓
The model

Six stages, from absent to user-driven.

The Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) describes six stages organisations move through as UX becomes part of how they work. The descriptions below are written in our own words for this page, not reproduced from NN/g's material -- if you want their original framing, search "NN/g UX maturity model".

  1. Absent

    UX is not yet a distinct activity. Decisions rely on instinct, precedent, or whoever is most senior in the room.

  2. Limited

    Something UX-shaped happens, but it is occasional, informal, and rests on one person noticing a problem.

  3. Emergent

    Research and design thinking exist and are sometimes structured, but are still easy to skip under deadline pressure.

  4. Structured

    A repeatable process and some shared patterns exist, and research usually happens before a direction is chosen.

  5. Integrated

    UX work reaches across teams, outcomes get measured, and leadership expects evidence before backing a major change.

  6. User-Driven

    Evidence from users routinely shapes strategy, not just individual features, as a matter of expected practice.

Self-assessment

Answer honestly -- nobody sees this but you.

Pick the option closest to how things actually work today, not how you would like them to work. There is no right answer to aim for -- the point is an accurate read, not a good score.

1. Does user research happen at your organisation, and who does it?
2. When research happens, is it before or after decisions are made?
3. Is there a shared design system or set of interface patterns?
4. Does anyone outside design ever take part in or hear about research?
5. Could your team run and analyse a piece of user research today?
6. Do you measure whether a design change actually helped?
7. Does leadership ask for user evidence before a major decision?
8. Who owns UX at your organisation?

0 of 8 answered

Answer all 8 questions above to see your indicative stage.

Next step

Want a proper look, not a self-report?

A self-assessment is a starting point, not a diagnosis -- it only knows what you tell it. If you want a written assessment of your actual product and process, and a conversation about what would move you forward, tell us a little about your team below.

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See how this looks in practice: our case studies, or read about in-house UX training for teams who want to move a stage.