User Experience
Behaviour
Also known as: Behavior
Plain English
What users actually do.
Definition
Behaviour refers to how users interact with a glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term, including actions, glossaryPatternA pattern is a reusable solution to a design problem that recurs across products and contexts. It captures an approach already shown to work, so a team solves the problem once rather than every time it appears.Open glossary term, and glossaryResponseA response is the data or result returned by a server after receiving a request.Open glossary term.
In practice
Studied through analytics, serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service, and glossaryObservationObservation is a research method where user behaviour is watched and analysed without interference.Open glossary term to inform design decisions.
In context
It is the evidence that survives opinion. What people did last month is not a matter of interpretation, unlike what they say they would do next month.
The reality
glossaryUser BehaviourUser behaviour refers to how users interact with a product, including actions, patterns, and decision-making processes.Open glossary term often differs from what teams expect or assume.
Compared with
Behaviour vs Attitude
Behaviour is what people do. Attitude is what they think and say. The two diverge routinely (users who rate a glossaryFeatureA feature is a specific piece of functionality within a product that delivers value to users. It represents something users can do or experience as part of the overall product.Open glossary term highly and never open it), which is why serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service designs need both.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is user behaviour?
It is how users interact with a glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term.
Why is behaviour important in UX?
It helps inform design and improve experiences.
How do you study behaviour?
Through analytics, serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service, and glossaryObservationObservation is a research method where user behaviour is watched and analysed without interference.Open glossary term.
Why does behaviour differ from expectations?
Because users think and act differently than assumed.
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