Tools I use.
Stage by stage.

A practical overview of the UX, user research, analytics, design, testing, AI, frontend, backend, and optimisation tools used across digital product work.

Observe

Understanding what users actually do, not what we think they do.

What I like to use

Google Analytics

Tracks how users actually move through a product, where they Open glossary term, and which paths to . It’s the baseline for understanding behaviour at scale and spotting where things are breaking down.

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What else is out there

FullStory

Captures detailed user Open glossary term along with technical , making it easier to understand both and underlying issues, especially in more complex products.

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Microsoft Clarity

Adds a visual layer through Open glossary term and , making it easy to see confusion, hesitation, and in real user behaviour rather than guessing from data alone.

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Mixpanel

Event-based product analytics that helps break down Open glossary term, , , and segmentation in more depth than standard reporting.

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Hotjar

Combines Open guide, recordings, and tools into one place. Good for quickly validating and getting a directional view of what users are doing.

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Amplitude

Product analytics Open glossary term built for understanding behavioural at scale, especially across , cohorts, and feature usage.

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Crazy Egg

Focuses on visual Open guide and , helping highlight what users are actually engaging with versus what was intended.

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Smartlook

Combines Open glossary term, , and , making it a useful middle ground between analytics and visual behaviour tools.

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Understand

Getting to the why behind , not just the numbers.

What I like to use

Typeform

Flexible survey tool that makes it easy to collect structured Open glossary term without creating for users, especially in live products.

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What else is out there

Dovetail

Helps organise and analyse Open glossary term, making it easier to turn interviews and into clear, usable .

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SurveyMonkey

More traditional survey Open glossary term, suited for larger-scale and more formal collection.

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Qualtrics

Enterprise Open service and survey with strong for large-scale feedback, segmentation, and analysis.

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Hotjar

Useful for in-product Open glossary term and intercept as well as and recordings, making it a practical bridge between behaviour and direct user input.

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Sprig

In-product Open service tool for and collection, useful when you need quick insight from live users in context.

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Structure

Turning into clear and usable .

What I like to use

Figma

Used to design Open glossary term, wireframes, and , turning into something tangible that can be tested, refined, and shared.

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What else is out there

Overflow

Specialised tool for presenting Open glossary term clearly, making it easier to communicate and to others.

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Mural

Collaborative visual workspace for workshops, mapping, and Open glossary term across , , and ideas.

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Lucidchart

More structured diagramming tool, often used for Open glossary term, , and technical that need clarity and consistency.

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Draw.io

Practical diagramming tool for Open glossary term, , and structures when speed and matter more than polish.

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Miro

Designed for workshops and collaborative Open glossary term, particularly useful for mapping and aligning multiple .

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Axure RP

Powerful tool for building detailed Open glossary term and logic-heavy , especially when need more depth.

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Test

Validating ideas before they become expensive mistakes.

What I like to use

Codex

Useful for quickly exploring implementation options, pressure-testing Open glossary term, and accelerating when ideas need to move from concept into working product.

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What else is out there

Maze

Enables rapid testing of Open glossary term with clear metrics, helping validate ideas quickly without needing full .

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Lookback

Supports moderated Open service , allowing deeper exploration through live and follow-up questions.

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PlaybookUX

Combines Open glossary term and interviews, offering flexibility depending on the type and depth of needed.

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UsabilityHub

Supports quick validation methods like first-click and Open guide, useful for early-stage directional .

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UserTesting

Provides access to a broad user base and recorded Open glossary term, making it easier to scale and gather diverse .

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Optimise

Improving through continuous .

What I like to use

Hotjar

Useful for spotting Open glossary term, hesitation, and missed opportunities through recordings, , and on-page .

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What else is out there

VWO

Experimentation Open glossary term that supports alongside behavioural , helping teams optimise with confidence.

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Mixpanel

Strong for event-based analysis, Open glossary term, and when you need to understand where optimisation work will have the biggest impact.

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Amplitude

Strong product analytics Open glossary term for understanding , , and journey performance when optimisation decisions need deeper evidence.

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Optimizely

Enterprise experimentation Open glossary term for testing, personalisation, and structured when changes need stronger validation.

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Convert

Privacy-focused testing Open glossary term, often used where compliance and control are a priority.

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FullStory

Detailed Open glossary term and behavioural analysis tool that helps connect opportunities to real user .

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Explore

Looking beyond the immediate problem. Drawing from , references, and that have already solved similar challenges.

What else is out there

Mobbin

A curated Open glossary term of real product screens and , useful for quickly understanding how common are solved across different apps and platforms.

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Land-book

A collection of landing page designs that helps identify Open glossary term , , and visual approaches across industries.

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Lapa Ninja

Large collection of landing page references that helps with structure, content Open glossary term, and visual approaches for -focused pages.

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Build

UI and component used to consistent interfaces faster. These are less about design thinking and more about getting robust, repeatable UI into production without rebuilding everything from scratch.

What I like to use

MUI

Component Open glossary term I use when speed, , and matter. Strong for structured product work where you need reliable building blocks without losing too much flexibility.

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What else is out there

Chakra UI

Component-based Open glossary term focused on speed and . Useful for quick , though I generally prefer the structure and flexibility of MUI.

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Bootstrap

Long-standing UI Open glossary term that helps teams move quickly, especially for standard and admin-style . Useful, but it can feel generic if it is not customised properly.

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Ant Design

Comprehensive component Open glossary term aimed at enterprise products. Strong for complex , though visually it can feel opinionated out of the box.

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Tailwind CSS

Utility-first Open glossary term that gives more visual control at implementation level. Powerful in the right hands, but it needs discipline or things get messy fast.

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Frontend

The layer used to the actual product experience. This is where structure, , state, and performance come together in a working interface.

What I like to use

React

Core Open glossary term for building modular, reusable . Flexible enough for complex products and widely supported across modern stacks.

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What else is out there

Vue

Open glossary term with a gentler learning curve and strong experience. A solid choice, especially for smaller teams or lighter applications.

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Next.js

Open glossary term I use for building production-ready React applications with routing, structure, and handled properly from the start.

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Nuxt

Open glossary term built on Vue that adds routing, structure, and application-level in a similar way to Next.js.

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Svelte

Lightweight Open glossary term that can produce very fast with less code. Interesting, but not as common in larger product environments.

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Angular

Full Open glossary term with strong conventions and enterprise adoption. Powerful, but heavier than I would usually want for most product work.

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Backend

The and that power the product behind the scenes. This is where is handled, logic runs, and integrations are managed to support the frontend experience.

What I like to use

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Core Open glossary term for running , handling data, and scaling applications. Reliable, flexible, and fits well with modern product architectures.

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What else is out there

Cloud Functions

Used for running Open glossary term logic without managing servers. Ideal for handling events, , and lightweight processing.

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Firebase

Open glossary term-as-a- that simplifies authentication, databases, and hosting. Good for rapid builds, but can become limiting at scale.

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AWS

Comprehensive Open glossary term with a huge range of . Extremely powerful, but often more complex than needed for most product work.

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Node.js

Runtime for building Open glossary term using JavaScript. Flexible and widely used, especially in full- JavaScript environments.

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Vercel

Lightweight Open glossary term alongside hosting. Useful for simpler use cases and tightly coupled frontend apps.

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AI

AI tools used directly in day-to-day work to generate content, explore ideas, and speed up . Focused on practical use, not experimentation for the sake of it.

Icons

Icon used to support , , and interface consistency. Icons should help users understand what something does, not make them stop and think.

Material Icons

Google’s icon collection built around Material Open glossary term. Useful in the right , especially for more -led interfaces.

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Typography

Font and collections used to shape tone, , , and consistency. Typography is not decoration. It directly affects clarity and usability.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER

Ready to improve your product?

UX, research and product leadership for teams tackling complex digital services. The work usually starts where things have become harder than they need to be: unclear journeys, inconsistent products, competing priorities, or teams trying to move forward without a clear direction. I help simplify the problem, shape the right next step, and turn complexity into something people can actually use.

Previous feedback

Will Parkhouse

Senior Content Designer

01/20