Research
Heuristic Evaluation Protocol
Heuristic evaluation spots usability problems fast using expert reviews. Evaluators check an interface against usability principles. This happens before user testing. This exercise teaches how to conduct solid heuristic reviews that find real issues.
Duration
2 hours
Group Size
3-5
Category
Research
Difficulty
Easy
Participants will:
- Apply usability heuristics to evaluate interfaces.
- Rate problem severity consistently.
- Conduct independent, unbiased evaluations.
- Combine findings from multiple evaluators.
- Prioritize issues for fixing.
Participants will produce:
- Heuristic evaluation findings.
- Prioritized usability issues by severity.
- Expert-identified improvements.
- Reduced risk of launching with obvious problems.
Key Principles:
Heuristic Refresher:
- Independent evaluations prevent groupthink.
- Consistent severity ratings are crucial.
- Focus on problems, not personal preferences.
- Distinguish heuristic violations from design disagreements.
Heuristic Refresher:
- Visibility of system status
- Match between system and the real world
- User control and freedom
- Consistency and standards
- Error prevention
- Recognition rather than recall
- Flexibility and efficiency of use
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
- Help and documentation
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