A practical framework from Don Norman that every UX professional should have in their toolkit
Users don’t interact with your interface for the joy of clicking buttons. They have goals. The interface is just the means to an end.
This framework from Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” is simple enough to sketch on a whiteboard, but powerful enough to expose fundamental flaws in even well-established products.
The Four Questions
1. How do users know their goal is attainable?
Before users begin, they need to believe success is possible. A travel site showing “No flights available” fails this. One showing “No direct flights—here are options with one stop” keeps the goal feeling attainable.
2. How do users know what to do?
Once users believe their goal is attainable, they need to know what action to take. The best interfaces make the correct action feel like the natural action.
3. How will users know they’ve done the right thing?
After taking action, users need feedback confirming they’re on track. A button that doesn’t change when clicked, a form that submits without confirmation—each leaves users wondering if anything happened.
4. How will users know they’ve attained their goal?
“Your order is confirmed” with an order number is clear. Just redirecting to a homepage after checkout is not. Users need closure.
The Two Gulfs
Gulf of Execution: The gap between what users want to do and the actions available. Questions 1 and 2 bridge this gulf.
Gulf of Evaluation: The gap between what the system did and user understanding. Questions 3 and 4 bridge this gulf.
Common Failures
- The Confidence Gap: Users don’t know if their goal is achievable
- The Hidden Path: The correct action exists but users can’t find it
- The Silent System: Users act and nothing obvious happens
- The Ambiguous Success: Something happened, but is the goal complete?
Train yourself to automatically ask these four questions at every significant interaction point. When you find gaps, you’ve identified exactly where improvement is needed.
Want to apply systematic design frameworks to improve your product? Let’s explore how goal mapping could transform your conversion rates.
