10 Usability Heuristics

• These 10 usability heuristics were introduced by Jakob Nielsen in 1994

• General rules of thumbs, not guidelines.
• Used in interaction design and Heuristics evaluations.
What are the usability Heuristics
* Also find the attached pdf for a quick review of all heuristics
1. Visibility of system status
2. Match between system and the real world
3. User control and freedom
4. Consistency and standards
5. Error prevention
6. Recognition rather than recall
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
10. Help and documentation
What are the usability Heuristics
* Also find the attached pdf for a quick review of all heuristics
1. Visibility of system status: The design should always keep users informed about what is going on,
through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
2. Match between system and the real world: The design should speak the users' language. Use
words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world
conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
3. User control and freedom: Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly
marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an
extended process.
4. Consistency and standards: Users should not have to wonder whether different words,
situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry conventions.
5. Error prevention: Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent
problems 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.
What are the usability Heuristics
* Also find the attached pdf for a quick review of all heuristics
6. Recognition rather than recall: Minimize the user's memory load by making elements, actions, and
options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to
another. Information required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or
easily retrievable when needed.
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use: Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the
interaction for the expert user such that the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced
users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design: Interfaces should not contain information which is irrelevant or
rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of
information and diminishes their relative visibility.
9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: Error messages should be expressed in plain
language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
10. Help and documentation: It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it
may be necessary to provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.
1. Visibility of system status
The design should always keep users informed about what is going on,
through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
- Outcome of prior interactions
- What to do next!
- Tip: Quick feedback is a must
2. Match between system and the real world
The design should speak the users' language. Use words, phrases, and
concepts familiar to the user. Follow real-world conventions, making
information appear in a natural and logical order.

- Tip: Use clear words

- Tip: Use relatable images and icons

Example: The cart icon in shopping apps

Example 2: stove eyes and controllers!!
3. User control and freedom
Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked
"emergency exit" to leave the unwanted action without having to go
through an extended process.

- Tip: undo redo

- Tip: exit, cancel are available and discoverable
4. Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations,
or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry
conventions
1. Internal consistency
2. External consistency
3. Cognitive load. Should it be increased or decreased?
5. Error Prevention
Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully
prevent problems 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.

- tip: provide good defaults

- Tip: Use undo, warnings

- Example: do you write dates in this format (month day year) or (day
month year), let’s test Microsoft excel.
6. Recognition rather than recall
Minimize the user's memory load by making elements, actions, and
options visible. The user should not have to remember information
from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use
the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily
retrievable when needed.
- Tips: help in context better than help and tutorial
- examples: history! Recently viewed items!
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
• Expert user vs novice users
• More than one way to do a task
• Use shortcuts might be more helpful to experts! Why!

• Tips: use keyboard shortcuts

• Tips: use customization (language, backgraound color..)

• Example: see the clipboard section in Home tab (how many ways can
you copy and paste?)
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
Interfaces should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely
needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with
the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

- Tips focus on essentials

- Google search engine vs yahoo search engine
9. Error Recovery
• Help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors?

• Tip: use error visuals: icons, colors, bold.

• Tip: use understandable language for users to describe the errors.
• Give solution or backup.

• Check this for examples:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/uxguide/mess-
error
10. Help and documentation
It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation.
However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users
understand how to complete their tasks.

- Tips: help should be readable and searchable

- Tips: provide in context documentation
- Tips: give concrete steps
Heuristic Evaluation
• Heuristic evaluations involve a review of a product or system, usually
by a usability specialist or human factors specialist who has little or no
involvement in the project. The specialist performs his or her review
according to accepted usability principles (heuristics).
• The viewpoint is that of the specific target population that will use the
product.
• If the product is related to a specific domain, it is better to have a
specialist in both human factors and the domain (ex: health care)
Assignment: activity & HW-Heuristic
Evaluation
1. Class Activity: Group creation: Fill the form that is given in the class,
and submit it.
2. Heuristic Evaluation.
I. Submission deadline : ?/3/2021 23:59 pm
II. Submission to system. One per group.
III. Next slide contains details of activity
Project: activity 1 & HW-Heuristic
Evaluation
• Evaluate the product individually, and find problems with usability using
the 10 heuristics.
• Combine your notes in one document
• In the document write down all heuristics
• Per each heuristic write:
• A general description of how this heuristic is used in the product, support your
answer.
• One issue related to this heuristic (if there is no issue, then write an example
where the heuristic is used in a good way)
• Suggested fix (if available)
• Provide photos to support your findings
Readings
• https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics
• Fundamental Principles of Interaction, Chapter 1, The-Design-of-
Everyday-Things-Revised-and-Expanded-Edition. (or any resource
talking about this topic).
• Which one of these principles has not match in Nielsn’s 10 heuristics?
Resources
• https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/#poster
• https://uxdesign.cc/user-experience-is-one-of-the-hottest-topics-in-da
y-today-designers-life-fb314978e1ff
• https://medium.com/@erangatl/10-usability-heuristics-explained-c7a
363e671a7