Heuristic Evaluation

AJ BrushRichard Anderson

Administrivia No class on Thursday 6/5 Applications due Friday 6/6 Final Presentations on Thursday

6/12 from 10:30 – 12:30 Room TBA

Plan for Today Presentation on Heuristic

Evaluation Try it out on each other’s

applications Course evaluations

Heuristic Evaluation“Heuristic evaluation is done as a systematic inspection of a user interface design for usability. … Heuristic evaluation involves having a small set of evaluators examine the interface and judge its compliance with recognized usability principles (the "heuristics"). “ [From useit.com]

Lecture Material for today comes from Jakob Nielsen’s site useit.com

Heuristic Evaluation: http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/

“Discount” Usability Method Jakob Nielson’s term for quick

cheap and easy evaluation Economic argument Three principles

Scenarios Heuristic Evaluation User studies with 3-5 users

Method Each evaluator inspects the

interface alone using heuristics Nielson recommends

At least two passes through the interface

One to get the flow and scope Second to focus on specific elements

Method (2) Make a list of usability problems

Note each problem separately Must reference heuristic Not required to say how to fix it.

Check you’ve covered all heuristics. Typically takes 1-2 hours

Break up larger interfaces

Method (3) Can have an “observer”

Minimize work for evaluator Operate a prototype For domain knowledge

Severity Ratings Compile list of all problems Ask evaluators to rate severity of

the problem on 0-4 scale 3 factors

Frequency Impact Persistence

Severity Rating (2)

0 = I don't agree that this is a usability problem at all 1 = Cosmetic problem only: need not be fixed unless extra time is available on project 2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority 3 = Major usability problem: important to fix, so should be given high priority 4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix this before product can be released

How many evaluators? More evaluators = more problems

found = more cost 3-5 evaluators seems to work best Hot topic in industry: “Magic

Number 5” panel at CHI this year

The Heuristics

Visibility of system status The system should always keep

users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. Good Example: The status bar at the

bottom of Internet Explorer Bad Example: Not clear who’s

homework is being graded.

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. Bad Example: “Acquire” instead of

scan, “Platen” as the only option for Select source.

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.

Consistency and standards Users should not have to wonder

whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. Bad Example: Options that brings up

a dialog without “...” after name

Error prevention Even better than good error

messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Good Example: gray out “okay”

button until required information is submitted

Recognition rather than recall Make 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. Bad Example: Layer Icons in scanner

program has no tooltips or context menu

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.

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.

Help users recognize, diagnose, andrecover from errors

Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

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.

Tablet heuristics

Tablet form factor The application should be aware of

the tablet form factor Are the graphics big enough?

High DPI Portrait and Landscape modes

Pen based Interaction User should be able to easily use

the application with the stylus. Communicate clearly what is inkable Cursor feedback Bigger, easily-targeted controls Generous tap, double-click and hover

tolerances Keep related objects in proximity

For fun

The Heuristics applied to everyday life

Now you try it…. Break into project teams

2 subgroups Get another group’s application Each subgroup does a heuristic

evaluation Whole team compares the

problems each subgroup found