quartz/content/notes/heuristic-evaluation.md

title	tags
heuristic-evaluation	info203 scott-video

"Heuristics are strategies derived from previous experiences with similar problems" jacob nielsen and rolf molich

• help find usability problems
• small set of 3-5 evaluators examine UI
• independently check for compliance with usability principles
• different evaluators will find different problems
• evaluators only communicate afterwaards
• findings are aggregated at the end

when?

• as part of need finding -> use experts to critique existing solutions
• before user testing -> identify minor issues before user testing
• before redesigning -> learn what works and what should change
• when you know there are problems but you need evidence -> "provide you with ammunition for design"
• before release -> smooth off rough edges

What

Process

Phases

1. pre evaluation training ⇒ give evaluators needed domain knowledge and information on the scenario
2. evaluation ⇒ individuals evaluate then aggregate result
   1. first as individuals
   2. then sit all together and aggregate
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

Individual

dont look search for heuristics individually just go through the app (like a user). If we find issues, we assign them to categories

step through design several times

• examine details, flow, an architecture
• consult list of usability principles
• … and anything else that comes to mind

which principles

• Nielsen's heuristics
• category specific heuristics
  • e.g., design goals, competitive analysis, existing designs

use violations for redesign/fix problems

multiple evaluators because no one finds everything some will always find more than others (Rule of thumb 5 evaluators find ~75% of problems)

Severity rating

• independently estimate after viewing
• allocate resources to fix problems
• estimate need for more usability tests

0. not problem
1. cosmetic problem
2. minor usability problem
3. major
4. catastrophe

Debreifing

• with evaluators observers and dev team
• discuss general characteristics of UI
• suggest potential imporvements
• dev team estimate effort to fix
• brainstorm solutions

Nielsen's ten heuristics

design-heuristics

• visibility of system status
• match between system and 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
• help and documentation

Heuristic evaluation vs user testting

heuristics	user testing
faster	slower
1-2 hrs each
results pre-interpreted
^ done by experts
less accurate	more acurate
does not take into account actual users	can find issues that experts might not have

value to alternate methods ^ find dfferent issues

Extra tips how to individual

• at least two passes each
  • first get get feel for flow
  • second to focus on specific elements
• if a system is "walk up and use" or evaluators are already domain expers ⇒ no assistance is needed
  • otherwire might supply evaluators with scenarios
• each evaluators should list issues separately
• risk of repeating problematic aspect
• may not be possible to fix all problems
• where problems may be found
  • single location in UI
  • two or more locations that need to be compared
  • problem with overall structure
  • something is missing
  • ambiguous with early prototypes
  • sometimes ....