Usability InspectionMethod: Heuristic Evaluation

What is Usability Inspection

1.Name for a set of methods

2.It is in contrast to usability testing

3.Requires a small set of testers (or “evaluators”)

Usability Inspection Methods

Heuristic evaluation

Heuristic estimation

Cognitive walkthrough

Feature inspection

Pluralistic walkthrough

Consistency inspection

Standards inspection

Formal usability inspection

CooperSoftware should be interested in me

Software should be forthcoming

Software should be confident

Software should have common sense

What heuristic is?

NielsenVisibility of system status.

Match between system and the real world.

User control and freedom.

Consistency and standards

Error prevention.

KrugDon't force me your way

Save me steps whenever possible

Heuristic Evaluation

It involves having a small set of evaluators

it requires just few resources in terms of money, time or expertise

It is a usability engineering method for finding usability problems

Heuristic Evaluation

It is difficult for a single individual to do

The more evaluators the better!

Heuristic Evaluation

Recommended are 3 to 5 evaluators

Each individual evaluator inspect the interface alone

The session lasts 1 or 2 hours

The output is a list of usability problems in the interface

Characteristics of Heuristic Evaluation

Small test scenarios

An informal basis for assessment that doesn’t require psychologists

A high success rate – so only a handful of testers are needed

A few key guidelines

How to conduct ?

1.Plan Your Evaluation

Develop a set of tasks and ask your evaluators to carry them out.

Provide evaluators with the goals of the system, and allow them to develop their own tasks.

Ask evaluators to assess your dialogue elements.

How to conduct ?

2.Choose your Evaluators

Those with experience

Those without experience

Heuristic Evaluation is known to find more than 90% of usability problems if it’s performed by 3 to 5 experienced people

How to conduct ?

3.Review the Heuristics

How to conduct ?

4.Conducting the Evaluation

Individual Evaluation

Group Evaluation

How to conduct ?

5.Analysing your Results

Compile all the information from your evaluators

Remove any duplicates and combine similar issues