Nielsons Heuristics

Question 1

Match between system and the real world

Answer 1

The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases, concepts, and symbols familiar to the user.

The interface should Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.

Question 2

Match between system and the real world - examples

Answer 2

Icons (home, email, things that represent their real-world counterparts), colors with association (red - stop, green - go), simple colloquial language

Question 3

User control and freedom - examples

Answer 3

undo/redo, back button, exit button, cancel button

Question 4

Error prevention

Answer 4

This heuristic highlights the importance of preventing user error in the first place so that they do not have to go back later and figure out what went wrong. Good error prevention stops the user from making a mistake before they even have the opportunity to.

Question 5

Recognition rather than recall

Answer 5

As humans have limited short-term memory, this heuristic refers to the idea that web interfaces should aim to reduce the amount of active recall a user must perform to use the website. They should instead focus on making elements and information visible and easy to retrieve to reduce the cognitive effort required by users.

Question 6

Recognition rather than recall - examples

Answer 6

Comparison tables, autofill, contextual recommendations(search bar), save settings, stay logged in, selection from list rather than typing,

Question 7

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Answer 7

This heuristic refers to the idea that the interface should provide users with flexible processes that can be carried out in multiple ways so that users with varying needs can pick whichever method works best for them.

Question 8

Flexibility and efficiency of use - examples

Answer 8

Shortcuts: - allow experienced users to save time and be more efficient while not affecting the ability of beginners to use the site.

• keyboard shortcuts for experts at Photoshop
• Bookmarks, Save items to a list, Tap to like

Personalization:
- tailor the content to the user based on the information they provide

Customisation: - lets users create the experience they want to have
* profile customization (image, language, age)

Question 9

Visibility of system status - definition

Answer 9

The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

Question 10

User control and freedom

Answer 10

This heuristic refers to giving the user freedom to exit from unwanted situations and control the interface so that they avoid feeling frustrated by getting trapped or lost on the website.

When it’s easy to back out of a process or undo an action, it fosters a sense of freedom and confidence in the user.

Exits allow users to remain in control of the website and avoid getting stuck and feeling frustrated.

Question 11

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Answer 11

This Heuristic refers to the idea that interfaces should display clear feedback to the user if an error has been made. The messaging should help the user to identify why the error occurred and exactly what they need to do to fix it.

Question 12

Visibility of system status - explanation

Answer 12

This heuristic states that web interfaces should always provide open and continuous feedback to the user about the status of the website. This allows users to feel more in control of their experience and builds trust as the user is able to see when the interface has received and how it is responding to their input.

Question 13

Visibility of system status - examples

Answer 13

Feedback: Important to provide good feedback to actions users take

• Hovering over a link and it changes/hovering over a button and it changes color
• Audio Feedback like from notifications etc
• Starting up computer sound
• Text message or email sending
• feedback messages in response to an action

General Availability: The system telling you if it is available to take input

• Loading circles
• Progress bars/Download percentages to inform users about timeline expectations.

Question 14

Consistency and standards

Answer 14

The interface should display both internal and external consistency. Internal - consistency/uniformity of the placement and use of elements, colour schemes, etc across the whole website. External - consistent with industry/platform standards and conventions.

This ensures that the UI is predictable and improves the learnability for the user. they shouldn’t have to wonder whether different words, symbols situations, or actions mean the same thing.

Question 15

Consistency and standards - examples

Answer 15

Internal - Language:
* ex. Commit Vs Save - pick one and stick with it throughout the website

Internal - Layout/Design:
* Example: Product navigation. The location of crucial navigation objects should be consistent. Both the structure and location of the navigation menu should be the same in different parts of your app/website.

• Consistent colour scheme
• Be consistent with the layout of the elements, follow patterns that make sense to the user

External:
* Use of recognized symbols such as the magnifying glass for search placed in the standard position (usually at the top of the screen).

Question 16

error prevention - examples

Answer 16

Provide Constraints/Parameters:

• Ex. Don’t let people enter birthdates that don’t exist on forms (only 12 months in a year etc)
• Warn users of these parameters (ex. your password must be…)

Provide Feedback:
* Notify people if they have made a mistake - inline validation

Allow people to confirm risky choices
* confirmation messages, (before emptying trash or cancelling a long download etc)

Question 17

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Answer 17

This heuristic refers to the principle that web Interfaces should refrain from displaying unnecessary information and content that does not support each page’s objectives and tasks. Any additional irrelevant content would only distract the user and reduce the relative visibility of the relevant information.

Question 18

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors - examples

Answer 18

Error messages

Question 19

Help and documentation

Answer 19

This heuristic explains that although ideally, an interface should let the user navigate through its features without any documentation or training. Sometimes it is necessary to supply more information and support to help users fulfill their desired outcome.

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.