HeuristicEvaluation

toc =Heuristic Evaluation=

A Heuristic Evaluation is a technique which allows experts in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human Factors to evaluate the usability of interfaces used in HCI. It is a way to assess the usability of computer applications; a form of usability evaluation to judge whether the user interface of a particular application or software follows specific usability guidelines. Two of the most prominent developers of these guidelines are Jakob Nielson and Donald Norman. They formulated the guidelines that are used in the evaluations. The goal of any evaluator using heuristics is to improve the functionality, design and usability of User interfaces (UI).

The guidelines often overlap with principals of design used in User-centred design and interface design. Both of these along with heuristic evaluations focus on the user experience as opposed to product aesthetics.

This form of usability evaluation is an informal technique and is often used in the field of New Media. Time and monetary restraints often limit the amount of resources that can be invested in other types of testing.

Benifits
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 * Quick and Cheap feedback for designers
 * realistic and usefull feedback on possible improvements
 * feedback can be generated early in the design process
 * restricts feedback to only problematic aspects of interface
 * relevant feedback

Nielson Norman Group
Jakob Nielson and Donald Norman are the cofounder of the usability consulting firm, [|Nielson Norman Group].

Nielson is a writer, consultant and speaker on issues related to usability in software and on the web. Nielson was one of the earliest analysts on web accessibility. He correctly predicted in 1990 that user interfaces would rely on hypertext in his published work, //Hypertext and Hypermedia//.

Donald Norman is the author of the book //The Design of Everyday Things.// In the book he looks at the psychology behind design. He relates the mental capabilities to 'good' or 'bad' design. A central theme in the book is the creation of User-centred design -- a process that allows design to focus on a user's experience.

Nielson's 10 Heuristics
([|As presented by Stanford University and Jakob Neilson])

//1. Visibility of system status// The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. //2. Match between system and the real world// The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. //3. User control and freedom// Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo. //4. Consistency and standards// Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. //5. Error prevention// Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.

//6. Recognition rather than recall// Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate. //7. Flexibility and efficiency of use// Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. //8. Aesthetic and minimalist design// Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. //9. Error recovery// Help users recognize, diagnose, & recover from errors. Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution. 10. Help and documentation Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.

More Information
How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation by Jakob Nielson: http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_evaluation.html