Heuristic Evaluation explained
A heuristic evaluation is an expert review of an interface against broad usability principles. It looks for possible issues with feedback, consistency, error prevention, and more. A reviewer follows defined tasks and records each finding with the relevant principle, location, and possible impact. Independent reviews by several people can reveal issues one reviewer would miss.
Why it matters.
It can find obvious usability problems quickly before launch. Expert review, however, does not replace observing real people using the product. The method offers a quick early review but does not measure how often a problem occurs. Severity and priority should be refined with real usage context and user testing.
Let's look at an example.
Think of account settings.
If nothing confirms a change after pressing Save, the interface may have a problem with visibility of system status. The same page might also permit permanent deletion without a warning or recovery path, raising an error-prevention concern. A review can cover more than visible feedback.
How to apply it.
- 01
Choose the usability principles for the review.
- 02
Inspect each flow against those principles.
- 03
Prioritize findings by impact and validate them with users.
“A principle points to a problem; understanding user impact comes next.