Usability Heuristics and Principles of Usability Testing

What is usability heuristics in UX?

A heuristic is a fast and practical way to solve problems or make decisions. In user experience
(UX) design, professional evaluators use heuristic evaluation to systematically determine
a design's/product's usability. As experts, they go through a checklist of criteria to find flaws
which design teams overlooked.

 Visibility Of System Status

 Match Between System and The Real World
 User Control and Freedom
 Consistency And Standards
 Error Prevention
 Recognition Rather Than Recall
 Flexibility And Efficiency of Use
 Aesthetic And Minimalist Design
 Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, And Recover from Errors
 Help And Documentation

1) Visibility of System Status

The first principle is about keeping users informed about their actions and what’s happening at a

given interaction. When users are informed of the current system status, they learn the results

of their past interactions, so they can better determine what their next steps will be.

Remember: When a design is predictable, it builds trust in the product.

This way, it’s important to provide instant feedback that serves to inform the status of the

interaction, in addition to guiding and leading the user to the next steps. For example: when you
finish watching an episode of a series on Netflix, the system provides a small screen telling you

how long it will take to load the next episode.

2) Match Between System and The Real World

This principle claims that a system should always speak the user’s language and follow real-

world conventions. This means avoiding marketing technical terms or other expressions that

might be familiar to who is building the product but not to their audience. So, use words,

phrases, and concepts that are familiar to your target audience. Also, to establish a connection

with the real world, components should appear in a logical order that will make sense to the

users according to their life experiences.

Remember: People’s mental model of technology is based on their offline experiences

combined with their prior digital interactions.

With that in mind, always use icons and other illustrations that resonate with the real world, so

users instantly recognize and understand what you’re trying to say.

3) User Control and Freedom

A good UI design should never impose an action on the user or make decisions for them.

Instead, the system should only suggest which paths the users can take. The interactions you

build must give users the freedom to decide and take the actions they see fit — except for rules
that go against the system or interfere with some functionality. However, don’t forget to consider

that users may regret their decision or make an error. Therefore, it is necessary to think of how

the system can allow users to undo and redo their actions according to their needs.

Example of Google Docs showing undo and redo options.

4) Consistency and standards

This heuristic is about keeping the same language throughout the system to avoid confusing the

user. So, when users interact with a product, they should have no doubts about the meaning of

words, icons, or symbols used. Therefore, an interface must follow the system’s conventions,

maintaining interaction patterns across different contexts. Designers should create a consistent

design that speaks the same language and treats similar things in the same way.
5) Error prevention

This Nielsen heuristic proposes that a good design should always prevent problems from

occurring. Think of a delete files button, for example. We must assume that users might

accidentally click this button or that they can imagine a different result from it. This way, to

prevent the user from getting frustrated if they delete files by mistake, it is essential to create a

warning message to confirm the decision before going through.

6) Recognition rather than recall

As seen, Nielsen’s heuristics aim to reduce users’ cognitive load, and this also includes their

memory capacity. So, it’s essential to think of ways to make options and actionable components

visible; this is important because it’s easier for us to recognize something rather than remember

it. The user should not have to remember all the actions or functions of the system. Therefore,

always leave small reminders of information that can assist users in navigating your designs.

For example, menu items should be visible or easy to access when needed.
7) Flexibility and efficiency of use

Your designs should benefit both inexperienced and experienced users. Notice that

inexperienced users need more detailed information. But as they keep using a product, they

become experienced users. This way, allowing them to customize processes like creating

keyboard shortcuts is a good practice. Also, try enabling personalization by tailoring content and

functionality for individual users.

8) Aesthetic and minimalist design

As a designer, please don’t consider aesthetics above functionalities. Therefore, create

interactions that contain only essential information. Avoid unnecessary visual elements that can

overwhelm and distract users. Remember: each extra piece of information will compete with

relevant, indispensable data and deviate attention from the most essential.
9) Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Your designs should help the user identify and find solutions to eventual problems and errors.

For that, express error messages in plain language: code-free and clear. Moreover, don’t forget

to tell them what the problem was and suggest a solution.

10) Help and documentation

The last of Nielsen’s heuristics concerns documentation that will help users understand how to

perform their tasks. Although all the heuristics listed above are supposed to help users avoid

errors and make it easy to navigate without assistance, it is still essential to provide further

assistance at any given time. This way, always deliver help documentation that is easy to

search for and focused on users’ tasks. A good practice is to list concrete steps users can follow

to complete a task successfully.