Usability Heuristics - Introduction
Usability heuristics are ‘rules of thumb’ that help identify usability issues in a web site or application as a general analysis.
We use these heuristics as a guide for expert reviews and evaluations.
Using usability heuristics to conduct an expert review helps us methodically assess the strengths, limitations, and features of web sites and applications.
Hiser uses 12 standard usability heuristics, based on Nielsen[1] and our experience with web applications.
Match between the system and the real world
The system should speak the users’ language, using words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than systems-oriented terms. The conventions of the real world should be followed, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
- Provide an intuitive visual layout
- Information should appear in a natural and logical order
- Use words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user
- Concepts and processes mirror what the user is familiar with.
Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, objects, operations or behaviors mean the same thing in different parts of the application.
- Follow platform conventions
- Conform to any existing processes or procedures
- Be consistent across the system (words, objects, operations, behaviours).
Visibility of system status
The application should always keep users informed about what is going on by providing appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
- Keep users informed about what’s happening
- Provide appropriate feedback within a reasonable time
- Keep users oriented and clear about where they are in the system or where they are up to in a process.
Error prevention
Does the system allow the user to make unnecessary errors easily? Has it been optimized to reduce casual errors? Although good error messages are important, even better is a careful design which prevents a problem occurring in the first place.
- Avoid situations where errors are likely to occur. Errors should be predicted
- Provide only appropriate choices
- Warn users of potential problems before they take action
- Ask for confirmation of potential destructive actions. Use a message that clearly warns the user of the consequences of the requested action
- Provide a way to cancel the command.
Error recovery
Error messages should be expressed in plain language rather than codes, precisely indicating the nature of the problem (what and where) and constructively suggesting a solution (how to fix).
- Make actions reversible
- Allow users to backtrack by providing ‘undo’ and ‘backup’ functions
- Allow users to return to the same place in the same state.
- Express error messages in plain language, precisely indicating the nature of the problem and constructively suggesting a solution.
User control and freedom
Users often choose application functions by mistake and need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted state without having to go though an extended process. The application should support “undo” and “redo” functions.
- Allow the user to control where to start and when to finish
- Allow the user to control the interaction
- Support multiple paths
- Support “Undo” and “Redo”
- Provide clearly marked exits.
Informative feedback
Does the application provide visual clues to the user? Does the application provide visual feedback when the user interacts with the application?
- Provide an indication of activity between the initiation of a command and its execution
- Provide visual clues, like cursor shape and animation
- Make it clear what has been saved and what hasn’t.
Aesthetic and minimalist design
Dialogs and pages should not contain information that is irrelevant or rarely needed, for that function or tasks. Superfluous information competes with and diminishes the relative visibility of the relevant units of information.
- Create a layout that’s aligned, clear and uncluttered
- Don’t include irrelevant or rarely needed information
- Place information consistently
- Reduce complexity
- Use direct, active and positive language
- Group related tasks and give only a few choices any one time
- Provide suitable content and appropriate page length.
Minimise demands on human memory
People find it easier to recognize things than to have to remember what they are, eg. clicking on a button to perform an operation is easier than having to remember a code to input. Objects, operations and options should be visible.
The user should not have to remember information from one part of the system to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
- Support recognition rather than recall - there should be no need to remember information from one part of the system to another
- Limit the number of items a user has to deal with at any given moment
- Let the design suggest the right action to do next
- Make objects, actions, and options visible
- Use task-focussed, user-centred labels and descriptive links.
Make the user smart
Users want to feel that they are in control of the computer’s activities. Good interface design features and embedded performance support tools will provide users with the information they need to make decisions regarding navigational and ‘next step’ issues.
- Build a consistent model in user’s mind
- Provide good mapping between the task and the system
- Provide clear navigation clues.
- Reduce the user’s cognitive load (memory, calculating, understanding relationships)
- Create a feeling of progress and achievement.
Flexibility and efficiency of use
Accelerators – unseen by the novice user – speed up the interaction for an expert user such that the application can cater for both types of user. Applications should allow users to tailor frequent actions.
- Encourage exploration
- Support different methods to achieve the same end
- Allow users to tailor frequent actions
- Provide accelerators for the expert user
- Accommodate a range of user sophistication and diverse user goals
- Provide logical information hierarchy
- Allow users to perform tasks in the fewest number of steps.
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.
- Provide on-line help and guidance
- Make it easy to search
- Keep it relatively short
- Make it available in context
- List concrete steps to be carried out.
[1] Footnote
[1] Nielsen in ‘Usability Inspection Methods’ edited by Jakob Nielsen and Robert L. Mack. John Wiley & Sons Inc. 1994.
