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Heuristic Evaluation

Experts reviewing an interface against a defined set of principles, which is fast and cheap but not a substitute for users.

Definition

Heuristic evaluation has several evaluators independently inspect an interface against a set of usability heuristics, then combine their findings. Nielsen and Molich introduced the method in 1990.

Expert heuristic. A review criterion developed by practitioners. Useful and widely taught, but evaluated by judgement rather than measurement.

On this page
  1. Definition
  2. How to run one properly
  3. In practice
  4. Sources
  5. Continue from here

How to run one properly

  1. 1

    Use three to five evaluators

    One evaluator finds roughly a third of problems. Several independent passes are what make the method work.

  2. 2

    Evaluate independently first

    Discussion before independent review produces convergence rather than coverage.

  3. 3

    Go through twice

    Once to learn the flow, once to inspect against the heuristics.

  4. 4

    Record severity

    Frequency, impact and persistence, combined into a rating that supports prioritisation.

  5. 5

    Combine and deduplicate

    Merge findings, then agree severities as a group.

In practice

Pre-testing triage

Research planning

Running a heuristic evaluation before usability testing removes the obvious defects, so session time is spent on the problems that need real users to find.

Sources

Where a source establishes something narrower than the popular reading of it, the note says so.

  • Heuristic evaluation of user interfaces

    J. Nielsen and R. Molich, CHI, 1990

Continue from here

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Principles behind this

The reasoning this solution is an application of.

Often used with

These usually appear in the same screen or the same decision.

Alternative approach

A different answer to the same problem, with a different cost.

  • Usability TestingResearch method

    Expert judgement finds different problems from watching real people, and finds them before you have users.

Check your work

Review passes that test whether this was done properly.

Short definition

The one-paragraph version, for when that is all you need.

Related concept

Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.