Nielsen Norman Group Articles
The free article library of Nielsen Norman Group, the UX research and consulting firm co-founded by Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman. Research-backed, plain-language articles on usability testing, interviews, forms, navigation, portfolios and nearly every other UX topic.
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What it is
Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) is one of the best-known UX research and consulting firms. Its website publishes a large archive of free articles and videos, many of them based on the firm's own usability studies. Classic pieces include "10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design" and "Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users", both of which are still widely taught.
Why it is worth your time
Much UX advice online is opinion. NN/g articles usually explain the research behind a guideline, give examples of good and bad designs, and say when the advice does not apply. They are written in plain language and are short enough to read in one sitting. For a learner, that makes the archive the best free reference for "is this a good idea?" questions.
What to read first
- Design Thinking 101 for an overview of the design process.
- User Interviews 101 and Personas: Study Guide for research.
- Usability (User) Testing 101 and Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users before your first test.
- 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design before any heuristic review.
- Error-Message Guidelines and Website Forms Usability: Top 10 Recommendations for interaction design.
- Design Systems 101 when you start building components.
- 5 Steps to Creating a UX-Design Portfolio when you prepare case studies.
Many topics also have "study guides" that list articles in a sensible order.
Free or paid?
The articles and many videos are free. NN/g also sells training courses, certification and reports; those are aimed at professionals and companies and are not needed to learn the basics.
How to use it
Search the archive whenever a roadmap topic raises a question, and read the article before designing, not after. When an article cites a study, note the year: some findings are decades old and still hold, while specific numbers about devices or behaviour may have changed.
Limits
NN/g focuses on usability and research. It covers visual design and tools such as Figma less deeply, so pair it with visual design and Figma resources.
Common questions
Is it too advanced for beginners? No. Many articles are introductions, labelled "101".
Can I cite it in my portfolio? Yes. Referencing a guideline you followed, and showing your own test result, is a good way to explain a decision.
Ready to start?
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