Created by Kamila Klavíková
This document will guide through the process of heuristic evaluation of any UI projects you are working on. Make a copy and just do it! It uses 10 usability heuristics for user interface design by Jacob Nielsen.
You also need some background on your users. This form of testing doesn’t involve users but your evaluators need to be able to act on behalf of the user — that means they need to know the target audience and what they expect to achieve from the interaction. It can be very useful to supply the evaluator with user personas to achieve this understanding. If your evaluators don’t operate from a user’s perspective the analysis may lack focus or fail to provide the specific insights that you need to improve the product.
Click on the link to create your own copy of this OrgPage: https://orgpad.com/s/NEXTMew7iLW?template=true
Now you can use this document for conducting heuristic evaluation. It includes all information to get you started. Take notes. This document is visible only to you.
If you are conducting the heuristic evaluation, add your name to the heading of this bubble.
Which project are you evaluating? Where are the files located? Add the project name to the heading of this bubble, and file attachments inside this card.
Write at the heading of this bubble what you are testing, i. e. whole app, registration, navigation etc.
Heuristic evaluation is a method for finding usability problems in design. The analysis results in a list of potential usability issues. An expert evaluates the interface against a predetermined set of usability principles known as heuristics.
There are many sets of heuristics. The most known heuristics are Jakob Nielsen’s “10 Usability Heuristics For User Interface Design”. These are used in this document.
It gives a focus. You have an objective for your testing. This essential for any kind of work.
Go through the list of heuristics and assign a label (red, yellow, green) to each.
You should make detailed notes about the issues:
Evaluators should conduct the walkthrough independently of each other — to give the broadest range of input without “group think” occurring during the process. They should record any issues that they encounter on a piece of paper or electronically and explain which heuristic has been violated and why.
So let’s say that an evaluator finds that when they enter a new password it needs to contain a special character (e.g. # or $ or % etc.) but that this isn’t shown on the instructions and without that character — the system displays an error. This would conflict with the idea of “error prevention” and should be noted as such.
If have analyses from more people, combine them together. Remove duplicates. Organize the data consistent with the severity of each issue.
Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/help-and-documentation/
For heuristics with major or minor usability issues, explore design alternatives.
Translation: Let the user know what is going on.
The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/visibility-system-status/
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/usability-heuristic-recognize-errors/
Translation: Design systems based on familiar ideas and concepts
The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/match-system-real-world/
Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/aesthetic-and-minimalist-design/
Organize usability issues, and solve them in accordance with their level of severity.
Enable a comprehensive scan of your product’s current UX design.
Use the internal resources you already have in place to administer an evaluation.
Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/usability-heuristic-user-control-freedom/
Following a set of heuristics lets you identify problems in specific user flows.
Accelerators — unseen by the novice user — may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/flexibility-efficiency-use/
You can combine multiple usability testing methods at the same time.
Complete testing at any stage of the design process. Evaluate wireframes, prototypes, live products — or all of the above.
Onboarding newbie evaluators may influence the value of the usability issues identified.
Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/recognition-and-recall/
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/slips/
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/usability-heuristic-consistency-standards/
Issues that are flagged based on heuristics may not necessarily cause a negative user experience in practice.
Finding an experienced usability evaluator can sometimes be a challenge, depending on the niche of the product being tested.