Skip to content

UX research methods — heuristic evaluation

Purpose: Systematically review UI against proven heuristics before launch or in audits.

Harvest / review: 2026-05

Agent hint: Load for design critique · Pair with ../ui-design/psychology.md

Nielsen's 10 heuristics (summary)

# Heuristic One-line test
1 Visibility of system status User always knows what's happening
2 Match system ↔ real world Language and concepts feel familiar
3 User control and freedom Easy undo / exit
4 Consistency and standards Same patterns everywhere
5 Error prevention Prevent mistakes before they happen
6 Recognition over recall Options visible, not memorized
7 Flexibility and efficiency Shortcuts for experts, simplicity for novices
8 Aesthetic and minimalist design No irrelevant noise
9 Help users recover from errors Clear errors + fix path
10 Help and documentation Findable help when needed

How to run a heuristic evaluation

  1. Scope — key flows only (homepage → donate, checkout, signup).
  2. 2–5 evaluators independently note issues per heuristic.
  3. Severity — cosmetic / minor / major / catastrophic.
  4. Prioritize — fix majors on primary flows first.
  5. Re-test after changes.

Use NN/g's free workbook for structure.

Patterns

  • Evaluate mobile and desktop separately.
  • Include keyboard-only pass for operability.
  • Capture screenshots with heuristic tag per finding.

Anti-patterns

Avoid Why
One person, one pass Misses ~30% of issues vs multiple evaluators
Heuristics as legal checklist Judgment still required
Only happy-path flows Edge cases break trust

Sources