Heuristic Evaluation – a Step By Step Guide Article
Key Takeaways
- Heuristic Evaluation, a cost-effective method for assessing the user interface, allows developers to identify usability issues. This method involves a small group of evaluators assessing the interface’s compliance with recognized usability principles.
- The process of Heuristic Evaluation typically involves developing a set of tasks for evaluators, providing them with system goals, or asking them to assess dialogue elements. The choice of method depends on the time available and the nature of the evaluators.
- The evaluation can be conducted individually or as a group. Individual evaluation tends to identify more problems but requires more time, while group evaluation requires more planning but can be completed simultaneously.
- After the evaluation, the results need to be analyzed by compiling all the feedback, removing duplicates, and combining similar issues. This will result in a set of problems or comments that can be addressed to improve the website’s usability.
What is Heuristic Evaluation?
Heuristic Evaluation (originally proposed by Nielsen and Molich, 1990) is a discount method for quick, cheap, and easy evaluation of the user interface. The process requires that a small set of testers (or “evaluators”) examine the interface, and judge its compliance with recognised usability principles (the “heuristics”). The goal is the identification of any usability issues so that they can be addressed as part of an iterative design process. Heuristic Evaluation is popular in Web development circles because it requires few resources in terms of money, time or expertise. So any developer can enjoy the benefits of usability testing – not just those with thousands to spend on a professional assessment. Heuristic Evaluation is characterised by:- Small test scenarios that use paper mock-ups or screen shots, which can easily be changed from one test situation to the next
- An informal basis for assessment that doesn’t require psychologists
- A high success rate – so only a handful of testers are needed
- A few key guidelines
How can I Use Heuristic Evaluation on my Site?
1. Plan Your Evaluation How will you test your interface? Heuristic Evaluation typically employs one of the three main approaches: 1. Develop a set of tasks and ask your evaluators to carry them out. Identify and test the tasks that are critical to your site’s success – you’ll want all visitors to be able to perform these – and any elements expected to cause difficulty for your site visitors. 2. Provide evaluators with the goals of the system, and allow them to develop their own tasks. An example goal might be “users should be able to find out how much product x costs.” Evaluators can then break this goal down into appropriate tasks, and test each in turn. 3. Ask evaluators to assess your dialogue elements. Ask evaluators to go through the interface a number of times and examine and assess the efficacy of those elements of your Website that contribute to a dialogue with your site visitors. Choosing which method to use will depend on you, the time that you have available, and on your evaluators. For example, if you were evaluating with young children, the most appropriate method would be to develop a set of tasks and ask them to carry them out. Children will find this much more achievable than trying to develop their own tasks, or assessing your Website elements without any obvious aims. 2. Choose your Evaluators The more evaluators you use, the more usability problems you’ll reveal. However, studies on the subject have shown that the benefit/cost ratio decreases at about five evaluators. So who should these evaluators be?- Those with experience – if you can find 5 evaluators who are experts in software ergonomics, and in the field in which the software is applied, a well-planned evaluation program will typically find 81%-90% of usability problems with your interface
- Those without experience – if you don’t have 5 free experts at your fingertips, don’t worry. A student with no knowledge of software ergonomics will find 22% to 29% of usability problems.
- “Where am I?” and
- “Where can I go next?”.
- is easy to search
- focuses on the user’s task
- lists the concrete steps users need to carry out to achieve their goals
- isn’t too large
- Individual Evaluation – each evaluator reviews the interface individually and reports problems to you. Individual evaluation is easily conducted over the Internet. It will pick up more problems than group evaluation, but takes a lot more time to complete.
- Group Evaluation – evaluators review the interface as a team, while you record the problems. Evaluators do not have to agree on a problem – but every issue they identify should be recorded. Group evaluation requires more planning than does individual evaluation, as all evaluators need to be assembled, however, the evaluation need only be conducted once as all the evaluators can complete their tasks at the same time.
- tell where they are
- tell what they can/should do next
- worked their way through the tasks or goals you set,
- evaluated each of these in light of the ten heuristics, and
- provided their feedback,
Remember the Golden Rule!
The golden rule of usability is:There’s no such thing as a “user error”!Make sure you clarify every problem your evaluators identify – ask questions so that you understand the specific nature of the difficulties they encountered. And remember:
- don’t argue with your evaluators,
- don’t try to “explain away” problems they identified
More Information
Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html (Accessed June 2001) Introduction to Usability http://www.usabilityfirst.com/intro/index.txl (Accessed June 2001) Heuristic Evaluation System Checklist http://www.stcsig.org/usability/topics/articles/he-checklist.html (Accessed June 2001)Frequently Asked Questions on Heuristic Evaluation
What are the key principles of heuristic evaluation?
Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method that helps to identify usability problems in the user interface (UI) design. It involves evaluators examining the interface and judging its compliance with recognized usability principles (the “heuristics”). These principles include 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, and help and documentation.
How many evaluators are needed for a heuristic evaluation?
The number of evaluators can vary depending on the complexity of the system and the resources available. However, research suggests that the best results are obtained with 3 to 5 evaluators. This is because different evaluators will find different sets of usability problems.
How is a heuristic evaluation conducted?
A heuristic evaluation is conducted in three stages. First, the evaluators familiarize themselves with the system and the heuristics. Then, they evaluate the system independently, identifying any usability issues that violate the heuristics. Finally, the evaluators meet to discuss their findings and prioritize the issues based on their severity.
What are the benefits of heuristic evaluation?
Heuristic evaluation is a cost-effective and efficient method for identifying usability problems in a user interface. It can be conducted early in the design process, allowing for issues to be identified and addressed before the system is fully developed. It also provides a structured approach to usability testing, which can help to ensure that all important aspects of the user interface are evaluated.
What are the limitations of heuristic evaluation?
While heuristic evaluation is a valuable tool in usability testing, it does have some limitations. It relies on the expertise of the evaluators, and different evaluators may identify different sets of problems. It also does not involve actual users, so it may not identify all potential usability issues. Finally, it can sometimes lead to false positives, where features are identified as problems when they are not.
How do you choose the right heuristics for your evaluation?
The choice of heuristics can depend on the specific context and goals of your evaluation. However, a good starting point is the set of ten heuristics proposed by Jakob Nielsen, which cover a broad range of usability principles. These can be supplemented or modified as needed to fit your specific needs.
How do you prioritize the findings of a heuristic evaluation?
The findings of a heuristic evaluation are typically prioritized based on their severity. This can be determined by considering factors such as the impact of the problem on the user, the frequency of the problem, and the potential for the problem to be easily corrected.
Can heuristic evaluation be used in combination with other usability testing methods?
Yes, heuristic evaluation can be effectively combined with other usability testing methods, such as user testing, cognitive walkthroughs, and expert reviews. This can provide a more comprehensive view of the usability of a system.
How often should a heuristic evaluation be conducted?
The frequency of heuristic evaluations can depend on various factors, such as the complexity of the system, the rate of changes to the system, and the resources available. However, it is generally recommended to conduct a heuristic evaluation at several stages throughout the design process, to catch and address usability issues as early as possible.
What is the role of a heuristic evaluator?
A heuristic evaluator is responsible for examining a user interface and identifying any usability issues that violate recognized usability principles or “heuristics”. They need to have a good understanding of the system being evaluated, the heuristics being used, and the principles of usability. They also need to be able to effectively communicate their findings and recommendations.
Nicky is a Community administrator for the SitePoint Forums. She's an advocate of accessibility and her research has been presented at international conferences. Nicky loves to travel, especially to Gibraltar, and is friends with anyone who offers her ice-cream or chocolate.