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Heuristic Evaluation Nielson’s Heuristics - Coggle Diagram
Heuristic Evaluation
Nielson’s Heuristics
1. Visibility of System Status
Users should always be kept informed with what is going on.
Appropriate feedback should be given – as quickly as possible.
Feedback can happen in any format (audio, visual, haptic)
For every action, there must be a reaction
3. User Control & Freedom
Allow users to correct mistakes and explore without fear = Undo, Cancel button
User will gain confidence & get a sense of control/freedom as they explore the system (as they know they can make mistakes)
Your undo/cancel/exit needs to be clearly labelled so that users can find/see it
4. Consistency & Standards
Reduce the learning curve and ensure that similar actions/elements are consistent across the system
If possible, follow industry conventions
Exiting out of a programme is always in the right-hand side corner
Check in desk in hotels are at the front of the hotel
On a website, blue underlined text is clickable
Controllers – you wouldn’t use a trigger to jump a character more likely to use the buttons on the front
2 Types of Consistency
Internal – ensures consistency within a product or a family of products
External – using established conventions in an industry beyond one application
External Consistency
Location of icons
Using widgets to represent the same meaning of icons
Are all things which can be used to create external consistency
5. Error Prevention
Two types of errors users can make
Slips – users intended to perform one action and end up doing another
Mistakes – mismatch between the user’s goal and how the interface works
This is where icons like undo, warning signs, preventative measures all help with stopping users from making a mistakes
Warnings
In games, often users will get a warning to prevent them from making a serious mistake
Warnings can be effective but will lose impact if overused
As a designer you need the right balance - too much text or too often and users will just ignore the message and carry out the action - when they might not mean to!
6. Recognition Rather Than Recall
Recognition is ideal as it takes less mental power to acknowledge something you know then having to search your memory to recall information
A good example of this:
Using recognisable icons (magnifying glass, trash can, x for exit)
7. Flexibility & Efficiency
Here, designers are accommodating both novice and expert users by using shortcuts & customisable options
Advantages
Accelerating users to perform tasks quicker
Make tasks harder if experienced
Often shortcuts are hidden from inexperienced users to avoid confusion
8. Aesthetics & Minimalist Design
Focus on essential elements (relevant information)
Avoid Clutter – you want the users to focus on their task without being distracted.
If you need to display lots of information, use effective ways to do so (text, images, design animations)
9. Help Users To Recognise, Diagnose & Recover From Errors
As already stated, errors will occur between the user & the system when a task couldn’t be completed
This heuristic looks at what to do if you have an error
Designers will need to provide clear error messages & solutions
This ensures users can find help when they need it, which enhances their overall experience
Good Error Messages Should Be:
Easy to read
Easy to understand (use simple language/language users will understand)
Constructive
Visible
Educate the users
Polite
Fix the problem quickly
Always offer a solution
10. Help & Documentation
Everyone was once a beginner – even an expert in that product
As a designer you want to transition a novice user to an expert
To do this we use help & documentation (even if the design was built without users needing help it still needs to be there)
Help & documentation can appear in various forms – walkthroughs, tops, popover, chatbots, videos, hints etc
All 10 Heuristics
2. Match Between System & Real World
Is the product logical in its design?
Potential users like to see objects/designs which are familiar to them. They will seek familiar words, images, concepts, shapes to make an informed decision – No-one wants to look up definitions of works to understand your product!
Does your design match the concept to another users
Does a button do what the user thinks the button should do?
