Nielsen's heuristics Flashcards
- Visibility of System Status
The system should always keep users informed about current state and actions through appropriate visual cues and feedback within reasonable time.
➡️ We make sure to update the dashboard whenever someone selects a specifier such as distribution center or region
- Match between system and real world
The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
➡️ Instead of showing specific routes between ZIP codes, we examine the distribution centers. We believe this is closer to reality.
- User control and freedom
Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
➡️ We considered doing an “undo” button. However, obstacles with Tableau prevented us form doing so.
- Consistency and Standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
➡️ As we created two dashboards, we wanted them to feel identical their maneuvering. Thus, maintaining a certain standard and consistency.
Additionally, our consistency, we argue, can be seen as we maintain the color scheming from our graphs in our text. This adds reinforcement in what our colors mean.
- Error prevention
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
➡️ Error messages are super helpful. Thinking more about this, we could have provided an “error” message when nothing had been selected (i.e. when no distribution center/timeframe had been selected)
- Recognition rather than recall
Minimize the user’s memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
➡️ We provide recognition by color coding. Example: In Dashboard 1, we repeatedly use orange for inbound data and blue for outbound data.
- Flexibility and efficiency of use
Accelerators - unseen by the novice user - may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
➡️ One could argue that we implemented this by adding filter functionality by clicking on the bubbles on the map or on of the bars in the product type chart. Kind of hidden functionality for experienced users.
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
➡️ We designed our dashboards with enough space in between the elements as well as only showing very clear and well designed KPIs or charts
- Help users recognize, diagnose and recover from errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
➡️ We probably should have implemented functionality helping the user if for example no distribution center is selected in the first dashboard (all graphs are then empty)
- 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.
➡️ Our report servers as somewhat of a documentation, I would argue.
