Heuristic Evaluation is Worth It

Performing a heuristic evaluation is a low-cost, time-efficient technique for discovering usability problems in a product user interface. Evaluators examine the interface, comparing its design to a list of heuristics, or usability guidelines.

Technology developers want their products to be successful.

The goal is to deliver an application that increases user productivity. When the application also increases user satisfaction, developers are better positioned to achieve greater market acceptance and increased sales.

To help clients increase user productivity, user satisfaction, and market acceptance when budgets and schedules are tight, TecEd offers a powerful technique known as heuristic evaluation.

How Does TecEd Perform Heuristic Evaluation?

To perform heuristic evaluation, TecEd creates a team of at least two usability specialists to evaluate the user experience of the product. Working independently, team members evaluate the product against a list of heuristics, or usability guidelines.

The following industry-standard heuristics were originated by Jacob Nielsen and are discussed in depth in this archived article by NN/g (Nielsen Norman Group):

• Minimize the user’s memory load—design for recognition, not   memorization
• Be consistent in terminology and presentation
• Provide feedback—keep the user informed of his/her status
• Use simple and natural dialogue
• Speak the user’s language
• Provide clearly marked exits
• Provide shortcuts
• Provide good error messages
• Prevent errors
• Provide additional information (such as Help and other documentation) that can be conveniently accessed

Why Wear the Hat?

Because it is a “user-free” method, heuristic evaluation typically requires a smaller budget and less time than other usability evaluation methods. But there’s still a tremendous advantage when our evaluators “wear the user’s hat,” walking through and examining the user interface based on roles and task scenarios to assess issues.

The following is a summary of the key business pay-offs. Heuristic evaluation:

1. Helps discover the “low-hanging fruit”—Heuristic evaluation is a cost-effective and efficient way to identify user Interface characteristics that diverge from industry-accepted practices or usability guidelines, as well as problems that usability specialists recognize from years of user research experience. The value comes from understanding the high-impact design changes that can be implemented before a product is launched.
2. Reduces the risk of releasing a confusing or difficult-to-use product—A previous post described the idea of usability research as “loss prevention.”  Even though the evaluators in this method are not users, their expertise provides insight into the issues actual users are likely to experience with the unique task flows, starting points, and desired outcomes of the product. Heuristic evaluation helps reduce the risk that task flows and user interface design will be frustrating to users.
3. Helps determine next steps—TecEd assigns severity ratings to our heuristic evaluation findings, enabling developers to prioritize changes that must be made prior to launch versus changes that can wait until a later release. Developers also benefit from a clear organization of findings, which are grouped into five usability issue areas: user task support, UI behavior, presentation, terminology, and privacy/trust. Some clients have said they use the heuristic evaluation report as a blueprint or reference document for designing subsequent product releases.

Learn More

Intrigued by the idea of “wearing the user’s hat?” Contact the TecEd team for more information about heuristic evaluation.