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The UX Enneagram

May 7, 2025

My team has been reworking our use of tags in our task system - oh so exciting.

Our "Systems" team is tagging based on what team the task serves: software, ops, warehouse, growth, finance, etc.

"Apps" is tagging based on the domain: Photo Mode, Video Mode, Camera, Viewfinder, Gallery, etc.

For our "Experiences" team though I've often found tagging by feature, or domain is too soft, things come and go, ideas change too quickly. As well the clarity of knowing you are solving the right balance of problems and can measure that impact is what we're really after.

So while spending the the morning on what would benefit the Experiences team I came up with...

The Triads

1. The Experience Triad (What Users Feel)

  • Clarity (Does the user immediately understand?)
  • Delight (Is there joy, emotion, and personality?)
  • Trust & Confidence (Does this feel safe and credible?)

2. The Performance Triad (How It Functions)

  • Usability (Can the user achieve their goal easily?)
  • Efficiency (Is it smooth, fast, and frictionless?)
  • Discoverability (Can users find what they need when they need it?)

3. The Business Triad (Impact on Growth)

  • Conversion (Does it drive revenue, sign-ups, or action?)
  • Engagement (Does it encourage interaction and retention?)
  • Traffic (Does it attract more users and visibility?)

Examples

Example 1: E-commerce Checkout Flow

Task: "Improve the checkout process"

Tags:

  • Clarity (users confused by shipping options)
  • Efficiency (too many steps to complete purchase)
  • Conversion (abandoned carts)

Priority: High - hits all three triads with clear business impact

Example 2: Mobile App Onboarding

Task: "Redesign first-time user experience"

Tags:

  • Clarity (new users don't understand core features)
  • Discoverability (key features hidden from new users)
  • Engagement (low retention after first session)

Priority: High - critical for user acquisition and retention

Example 3: Dashboard Redesign

Task: "Update admin dashboard layout"

Tags:

  • Usability (current layout requires too many clicks)
  • Efficiency (slow loading times)
  • Trust & Confidence (data doesn't feel reliable)

Priority: Medium - important for power users but limited business impact

Example 4: Error Message Improvements

Task: "Better error handling for failed uploads"

Tags:

  • Clarity (users don't understand why upload failed)
  • Trust & Confidence (feels like system is broken)
  • Delight (frustrating experience)

Priority: Medium - improves experience but doesn't directly drive growth

How to Use

  1. Tag each UX task with 1-3 relevant enneagram points
  2. Prioritize tasks that hit multiple triads (especially Business + Experience)
  3. Measure impact by tracking metrics related to each triad
  4. Balance your roadmap across all nine points to ensure comprehensive UX

Thought it was clever and worth a share... but maybe the coffee is hitting just right.