1. Delhi IT Professionals
Heuristic Evaluation : Discount Usability
Testing
Sushil Bharwani
@jsushil

2. How Many Software Engineers
Does It takes to Change a Light
bulb?

3. How Many Usability Engineers
Does it takes to change a Light
bulb?

4. • Usability Engineering is an Important
aspect of any product Development.
• People rarely use the recommended
usability engineering methods.
• One important reason usability
engineering is not used in practice is the
cost of using the techniques or rather
perceived cost.

5. “le mieux est l'ennemi du bien"
(The best is the enemy of the good)
[Voltaire 1764]
Heuristic Evaluation is a Discount Usability Technique, It is not costly like using
Regular Usability Principles, but helps in finding several usability problems in your
Product.

6. Heuristic Evaluation Technique
• Developed by Jacob Nielsen.
• It’s a Discount Usability Technique.
• It’s a Critique based approach.
• Helps find usability problems in a design.
• Small set (3-5) of evaluators examine UI.
• Independently check for compliance with
usability principles (“heuristics”).
• Different evaluators will find different problems
evaluators only communicate afterwards.
• Findings are then aggregated.
• Can perform on working UI or sketches.

7. Phases of Heuristic Evaluation
1. Pre-evaluation training: give evaluators needed
domain knowledge and information on the
scenario.
2. Evaluation: individuals evaluate (against defined
Heuristics) and then aggregate results.
3. Severity rating: determine how severe each
problem is (priority). Can do first individually and
then as a group.
4. Debriefing: review with design team.

8. Severity Ratings
0 - don’t agree that this is a usability
problem
1 - cosmetic problem
2 - minor usability problem
3 - major usability problem; important to fix
4 - usability catastrophe; imperative to fix

9. Ten Design Heuristics
• Show system status
• Familiar metaphors & language
• Control & freedom
• Consistency
• Error prevention
• Recognition over recall
• Flexibility & efficiency
• Aesthetic & minimalist design
• Recognize, diagnose, & recover from errors
• Help

10. 1. Show System Status
Show Time
• Feedback depends on response time
<1s: just show outcome
~1s: feedback that activity is underway Hour Glass
>>1s: Show fractional progress; time

11. Show Space

12. Show Change

13. Show Action

14. Show: Next steps
• Amazon purchase reply

15. Show Completion

16. 2.Familiar Metaphors
& Language
Familiar Metaphors
• Real world Metaphors Like Trash, files, Folders upload
My Documents

17. Familiar Languages

18. Familiar Categories

19. Familiar Choices

20. 3. User Control and Freedom
• Freedom to Undo and Redo

21. Freedom to Explore

22. 4. Consistency and Standards
• Consistent Layout

23. Consistent Names

24. 5.Error Prevention
• Prevent Data Loss

25. Prevent Misinterpretation

26. Prevent Bad Input

27. Prevent Unnecessary Constraints

28. 6.Recognition over Recall
• Recognition with Previews

29. 7.Flexibility and Efficiency
• Flexible Default with options

30. Flexibility: Recommendations

31. 8.Aesthetic &
Minimalist Design
• Above the Fold

32. Minimalism: signal-to-noise

33. 9. Recognize, Diagnose, &
Recover from Errors
• Make Problem Clear.

34. Errors: Provide a solution

35. Errors: propose an alternative

36. 10. Help
• Help Guide the Way

37. Help Show the Steps

38. Help point things out

39. Help provide more Information