Nielsen Norman Group

Nielsen Norman Group, commonly abbreviated as NN/g, is an American professional-services firm specializing in user experience research, usability, human-centered design, and digital product evaluation. The company was founded in Fremont, California, in 1998 by usability researcher Jakob Nielsen and cognitive scientist and designer Don Norman. Its name combines the surnames of the two founders, whose work helped establish usability and user-centered design as important disciplines in software, websites, consumer electronics, and other interactive products. NN/g operates through a combination of research publication, consulting, and professional education. Its work is aimed at organizations that need to understand how people use interfaces, identify usability problems, improve information architecture, and make digital products easier to learn and operate. Its services have included usability testing, user research, expert review, interaction-design evaluation, design guidance, and training for UX and product teams. The organization has also offered live and self-paced educational programs and has used conferences and research reports to distribute its methods to a broad professional audience. The group is associated with practical frameworks for assessing digital experiences. Its research has addressed web usability, reading behavior, mobile interfaces, intranets, artificial-intelligence interfaces, and major software platforms. Among the work commonly associated with NN/g is research describing the F-shaped pattern of online reading, in which users often scan text-heavy pages in a pattern resembling the letter F. The firm has also published analysis of the user experience of Microsoft Windows 8 and has examined how interface conventions change across devices and technologies. NN/g's public identity is built around evidence-based design rather than a particular software product or consumer brand. Its reports and articles are widely used by practitioners as reference material for usability reviews, design critiques, research planning, and organizational UX education. The company therefore occupies a specialist position between an advisory consultancy, a research publisher, and a professional training provider. The firm's leadership changed in 2023. Jakob Nielsen retired from NN/g in March of that year. Kara Pernice, who had joined the company in 2000, became president and chief executive officer on April 1, 2023. Don Norman remains a member of the company's board of directors. The company continues to operate as a private, active organization serving an international professional audience.

Nielsen Norman Group was established in Fremont, California, in 1998 by Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman. The founders brought complementary expertise to the organization: Nielsen was known for research and practice in web usability and human-computer interaction, while Norman was known for work in cognitive science, design, and the relationship between people and the products they use. Their firm was created to provide research, consulting, and education concerning the design and evaluation of interactive systems. From its beginning, NN/g developed a model that combined professional advice with published research and training. Rather than presenting UX as solely a visual-design discipline, the organization emphasized the study of user behavior, task completion, learnability, information organization, and the removal of obstacles from interfaces. This approach made its material useful to product managers, designers, engineers, researchers, and executives responsible for digital services. The firm expanded its expert network in 2000 when Bruce Tognazzini joined as a principal. During the following years, NN/g became associated with a large body of applied research on websites, software, mobile experiences, intranets, and other interactive products. Its publications translated usability findings into practical recommendations for organizations designing or improving digital systems. The company's analysis of online reading behavior, including the F-shaped scanning pattern, became one of its most recognizable contributions to web-design discussions. NN/g also examined the interface and user experience of Microsoft Windows 8, illustrating its practice of applying usability analysis to prominent technology platforms. Education became a significant part of the firm's operating model. NN/g has offered conferences, live online instruction, self-paced courses, and research-based reports intended to help organizations develop internal UX capabilities. Its consulting and research activities have included usability testing, user research, interface evaluation, and design guidance. This combination has allowed the organization to serve both clients seeking project-specific advice and practitioners seeking repeatable methods. As technology changed, the subject matter of NN/g's work broadened. In addition to conventional websites and desktop software, the organization has addressed mobile devices, intranets, and interfaces involving artificial intelligence. The continuing theme across these areas is the evaluation of how real people understand, navigate, and use systems, rather than the promotion of a particular technology platform. Leadership transitioned in 2023. Jakob Nielsen retired from the organization in March, while Kara Pernice, who had joined NN/g in 2000, became president and CEO on April 1. Don Norman continued as a member of the board of directors. NN/g remains a private American research and professional-services firm with an international audience, distributing its expertise through consulting, training, events, and public research content.

• 2023

  Leadership succession

  [1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Jakob Nielsen retired in March, and Kara Pernice became president and CEO on April 1. Don Norman remained on the board.

• 2000

  Bruce Tognazzini joins as principal

  [1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Bruce Tognazzini joined Nielsen Norman Group as a principal, adding to the firm's senior UX and interface expertise.

• 1998

  Nielsen Norman Group founded

  [1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman founded the firm in Fremont, California, to provide user-experience research, consulting, and training.

An evidence-led authority and specialist consultancy for usability, user research, human-centered design, and UX professional education.

• Professional services · 1998

  UX Research and Consulting

  NN/g provides research and advisory work intended to help organizations understand user behavior and improve interactive products. The scope includes usability evaluation, user research, interface analysis, information architecture, and design recommendations. These services are positioned as evidence-based support for teams working on websites, software, mobile experiences, intranets, and emerging interfaces.

• Research publication

  NN/g Research Reports

  The group's reports and articles communicate findings from user-experience research in a form intended for practitioners. Topics have included online reading behavior, usability, mobile interfaces, intranets, artificial-intelligence interfaces, and the evaluation of major software platforms. The publications function both as professional reference material and as an extension of the firm's research activities.

• Professional education and events

  UX Conference

  NN/g conferences provide structured education for people working in user experience, product design, research, and related disciplines. The events are part of the firm's broader effort to disseminate research-based methods and practical guidance to an international professional audience.

• Professional training

  Live Online Training

  Live online training is an instructor-led educational offering covering user-experience and usability subjects. It extends NN/g's training model beyond in-person events and gives practitioners access to structured instruction from the firm's research and consulting perspective.

• Professional training

  Self-Paced Training

  Self-paced training provides on-demand learning materials for professionals who want to study UX and usability topics independently. It complements NN/g's live courses, conferences, and published research.

• 2023

  Leadership transition after Jakob Nielsen's retirementStrategy

  Background

  Jakob Nielsen retired from NN/g in March 2023 after serving as a co-founder and prominent figure in the firm's work.

  Action taken

  Kara Pernice, a longtime NN/g employee who joined the company in 2000, was appointed president and CEO effective April 1, 2023. Don Norman continued as a board member.

  Aftermath

  The company continued operating under a new chief executive while retaining co-founder Don Norman in a governance role.

  Source

• 2023

  Kara Pernice appointed president and CEO[1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Kara Pernice became president and chief executive officer of Nielsen Norman Group on April 1, 2023, following Jakob Nielsen's retirement from the firm in March.

• 2023

  Jakob Nielsen retires from Nielsen Norman Group[1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Co-founder Jakob Nielsen retired from NN/g in March 2023 after helping lead the firm since its founding.

• NN/g research covers AI interfaces and contemporary digital products[1]Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The group's research portfolio has expanded beyond traditional websites and software usability to include artificial-intelligence interfaces, mobile devices, and intranets.

1. 1Nielsen Norman Groupen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Nielsen Norman Group official websitenngroup.com