An expert-based method where specialists review an interface against established usability principles (heuristics) to identify obvious problems without testing with actual users.
Definition: An expert-based method where specialists review an interface against established usability principles (heuristics) to identify obvious problems without testing with actual users.
A Heuristic Evaluation (or Heuristic Usability Evaluation) is an expert-based review method where specialists examine an interface against a set of established usability principles, called heuristics.
The most widely used set of principles are Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics (1994), which include guidelines like:
Heuristic evaluation is often recommended as a first step before empirical research with users. It is an excellent way to:
Teams under pressure often skip this step. That is a mistake—it saves resources in the long run.
Heuristic evaluation finds interface violations of known principles, but it cannot tell you:
It is a complement to user research, not a replacement.
Per ISO 9241-11: the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.
A Core Method combining all three Building Blocks: testing task completion (effectiveness and efficiency), observing behavior and non-verbal cues, and asking questions about the experience. The most comprehensive single research method.
Research that assesses whether a specific solution works, either during development (formative) or after completion (summative). Answers 'Does this work?' rather than 'What should we build?'
This term is referenced in the following articles:
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