Practice UX documentation vocabulary: UX specs, interaction specs, personas, journey maps, service blueprints, and experience maps.
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What is a 'persona' in UX documentation?
Personas synthesise research findings into a memorable, concrete character. A well-made persona includes: name and photo, demographics (relevant, not decorative), primary goals, frustrations/pain points, technical proficiency, and a quote that captures their mindset. Caution: proto-personas are assumption-based; research-backed personas are grounded in real data. Personas should drive decisions, not gather dust.
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What does a 'customer journey map' document?
A journey map is a visualisation tool. Typical rows: phases (Awareness → Consideration → Purchase → Use → Support), actions (what the user does), touchpoints (website, email, app, store), thoughts (what they're thinking), emotions (plotted as a curve — peaks and valleys), pain points, and opportunities. It creates empathy and surfaces where the experience breaks down.
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How does a 'service blueprint' differ from a customer journey map?
Service blueprints (Lynn Shostack) add layers below the line of visibility: frontstage actions (what the customer experiences), backstage actions (what staff do that the customer doesn't see), support processes (systems and tools), and physical evidence (receipts, emails, packaging). Essential for service design — revealing operational bottlenecks, handoff failures, and systemic improvement opportunities.
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In a design handoff, what is an 'interaction spec' (also called an interaction specification)?
An interaction spec bridges the gap between a static Figma mockup and a fully working feature. It should cover: all component states (default, hover, focus, active, disabled, loading, error, empty), transition behaviour (what triggers state changes), animation details (easing, duration), responsive behaviour, and edge cases ('what if the name is 200 characters?'). Without it, developers make assumptions that often don't match design intent.
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What is a 'research repository' in UX practice?
Research repositories (tools: Dovetail, Notion, Airtable, EnjoyHQ) prevent research from being done repeatedly or lost. A good repository tags findings by theme, product area, user segment, and date — enabling new teams to search for existing evidence before commissioning new research. Key challenge: maintaining quality and findability as the repository grows. Related concept: research ops (ResearchOps) — the infrastructure supporting research practice.