2. © 2016 Cognizant

3. Introduction PREREQUISITES SCOPE
Heuristic evaluation is a discount usability engineering method for quick, cheap, and easy evaluation of a user interface design.
It is done as a systematic inspection of a user interface design for usability. The goal of heuristic evaluation is to find the usability problems in the design so that they can be attended to as part of an iterative design process.
It acts a quality control process that helps create intuitive, scalable and useful product ,website or application. During this review, bad design elements are detected early and correct design decisions are suggested.
It involves having a small set of evaluators examine the interface and judge its compliance with Jakob oh godNielsen’s 10 usability heuristics which is a global standard.
PREREQUISITES
Determine evaluation areas
Understand Jakob Nielsen’s 10 laws of usability heuristics
Understand UX problem area classification
Understand Problem severity types
SCOPE
All important usability problems within the existing product/website/application were identified.
While documenting these problems, these are divided within evaluation areas.
Each problem description involves the following sub-processes:
Assign severity type
Profile the problem under problem area
Provide precise Problem description
Provide precise description for solution
Heuristic Evaluation is an integral part of strategic UX design. It helps in savings of time and effort which results into long term cost savings.
If initial UX design approach is aided by the Heuristic Evaluation, it consumes less time and effort to meet UAT standard. Also, the time & effort to implement additional feedback received during UAT is less. Final acceptance standard is achieved faster consuming less effort.
If initial UX design approach is not aided by the Heuristic Evaluation, it consumes more time and effort to meet UAT standard. Also, the time & effort to implement additional feedback received during UAT is much more. Final acceptance standard is achieved after consuming more time & effort than initially estimated.

4. Jacob Nielsen’s 10 usability Heuristics
H1: Visibility of system status
The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
H6: 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.
H2: Match between system and the 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.
H7: 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.
H3: 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.
H8: 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.
H4: Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
H9: 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.
H5: 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.
H10: 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.

5. UX classification and problem severity types
MOST COMMON UX PROBLEM AREA CLASSES
UX Category
Scope (What each category covers)
Navigation and Structure
Links, Buttons, Pagination, Navigation Menus, Task Flows, Site Structure, Secondary windows, Pop up windows, Feedback Messages
Interaction Design
Any aspect related to how user performs an action.
Visual Design
Color, Graphics, Icons, Animation, Fonts
Layout
Page layout and structure, Alignment, Grouping, Hierarchy, Sequence, Placement, Page Length, Scrolling
Labeling
Labels on Links, buttons, widgets, icons, menu items, forms etc. Titles and Subtitles on pages, tables, graphics etc.
Content
Wording, Instructions, Body Text, Messages
Herror handling & preventing
Error Messages, Confirmation Messages, Error conditions, Potential errors areas, Error prone conditions
Functionality
Ease-of-use of available functionality. Whether it captures the business need
Showstoppers
The most Serious and Catastrophic issues that prevent people from accomplishing their goals or leads them to mistakes
Major Issues
Issues that cause waste of time, increased learning and error rates
Irritants
Minor cosmetic or consistency issues that slow users down slightly / are a minimal violation of usability guidelines
Time and Effort required to solve an usability problem is directly proportional to the severity of the problem. Solving irritant issues cost least time & effort and showstopper costs maximum.

6. Heuristic Evaluation

7. Heuristic Evaluation

8. Heuristic Evaluation