CPSC 481 – Week 10
Heuristic Evaluation
Sowmya Somanath
ssomanat@ucalgary.ca
(based on previous tutorials by Alice Thudt, Jonathan
Haber and Brennan Jones)
Today
• Quick overview/review of Heuristic Evaluation
• You will be using this method for your final portfolio
deliverables.
• In-class activity
• Top-performing group will receive a gift of some kind...
Heuristic Evaluation
… a usability inspection method for computer
software that helps to identify usability problems in
the user interface (UI) design.
Now widely taught and practiced in industry.
Real-world technique for UIs designed in a short space of
time on a budget that may restrict the amount of money
available to provide for other types of interface testing.
Usability Heuristics for UIs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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
Heuristics based on a factor analysis of 249 usability problems [Nielsen 1994a] to
derive a set of heuristics with maximum explanatory power, resulting in this
revised set of heuristics [Nielsen 1994b].
Usability Heuristics for UIs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWc0Fd2AS3s
Today’s Activity
General steps:
1. Perform an independent assessment of which
heuristics a system violates
2. In your groups, discuss and aggregate your
individual results, listed by heuristic
3. Assign severity ratings for each bug
4. Presentation on five or six most important bugs
to fix
Because it’s almost the holidays…
• I will be offering a gift to the group that discusses
the most interesting/insightful bugs and suggested
fixes 
System: Accuvote
http://hcitang.org/uploads/Teaching/tutorial8accuvote.swf
• This is a simulation of an electronic voter terminal.
These have gotten significant play in the US media
due to fears of voter fraud/system bugs, etc.
• Imagine that you are brought in to evaluate this
system, and to identify issues that need to be
addressed.
1. Individual Assessment (15 min.)
• Create a Google Docs spreadsheet:
Name | Heuristic Violated | Description | Suggested Fix
• Perform your assessment on Accuvote with the 10
Neilson’s Heuristics
• Note that you may identify a bug that doesn’t fit a
particular heuristic. Feel free to note this without a
heuristic number.
• For each bug under the name field, just put your
name in there
2. Aggregate Bugs (10 min.)
• In your groups merge all of your spreadsheets
together into a single spreadsheet
• Re-order the bugs according to the Heuristic
violated
• Discuss each bug with every member of your
group, and remove duplicate bugs
3. Severity Ratings (10 min.)
a. Get a copy of the aggregate list from your group
b. Individually, assign severity ratings for each bug
0 – don’t think this is a usability problem
1 – cosmetic problem
2 – minor usability problem
3 – major usability problem; important to fix
4 – usability catastrophe; must fix
c. Return to your group, and discuss severity ratings
where there is high variance (e.g., >= 2 pt difference),
and find agreement
4. Present and Discuss
• Prepare (5 min)
• Write your groups results on the board (5 min)
• Discussion Amongst Class (10 min)
Remaining Time
Start on the heuristic evaluation of your own
prototype!
* REMEMBER: This is actually part of your final portfolio
deliverable.