Chapter 26
Inspections of the UI
Heuristic inspection
• Recommended before but in lieu of user
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observations
Sort of like an expert evaluation
Heuristics can be based on guidelines or style
guides
One set of heuristics was proposed by Nielsen:
http://www.useit.com
Here they are:
http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_li
st.html
Nielsen’s Hueristics
• Visibility of system status
 feedback availability
• Match between system and real world
 avoid jargon
• User control and freedom
 undo and redo
• Consistency and standards
 follow platform conventions (style guides?)
cont’d.
• Error prevention
 error messages, error prevention
• Recognition rather than recall
 visibility
• Flexibility and efficiency of use
 tailorability (e.g., shortcuts for power users)
• Aesthetic and minimalist design
 avoid irrelevant info
cont’d.
• Error diagnosis
 error messages
• Help and documentation
 self-explanatory
• See Heuristic Evaluation of Usability of
Infants
Conducting heuristic insp.
• Choosing inspectors:
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usability experts (e.g., Jakob Nielsen)
domain experts (e.g., ATC controllers)
designers
developers
nonexperts (perhaps domain experts)
Collecting Evaluation Data
• Possible template for heuristic evaluation
• Follows along task description
Task Scenario No. 1
Evaluator: John
Inspector: George
Task description
Arrival of new email
message
Session: 2/25
Start: 9:30am
End: 10:20am
Violated heuristic
Visibility of
system status
Usability defect
User is not
informed of new
email arrival
Inspector’s comments
Provide audible or
visual alert, with the
option of turning it off
or choosing between
type of alert
Data Analysis
• Procedure for analysis should follow that of
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analysis of user observation data
Procedure for interpretation should be similar as
well
Potential benefits:
 inspections may be cheaper then user studies
 inspectors often suggest solutions (users do not)
 inspections can be quicker
Pitfalls of inspections
• Inspectors aren’t real users
 difficult to make predictions of what real users
will actually do
 inspectors may attach different importance to
found defects
• Inspectors may be biased by their
experience
• Inspectors may have insufficient domain
knowledge
Other types of inspections
• Participatory heuristic evaluations: if not using
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HCI or domain experts, but users as inspectors
Guideline reviews: instead of heuristics, use
guidelines, style guides, etc.
Standards inspections: evaluate UI against
something like ISO 9241
Cognitive walkthrough
Peer review: use your friends…
Participatory heuristics
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system status
task sequencing
emergency exits
flexibility and efficiency of use
match between system and real world
recognition rather than recall
aesthetic and minimalist design
Participatory heuristics
• error reporting
• error preventing
• skills
 enhance user skills (e.g., wizards)
• pleasurable and respectful interaction
• quality work (timeliness, accuracy,
aesthetics, completeness
• privacy