Smartstaff
2,033
edits
Changes
m
You can also learn more about these heuristics at https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/ ==What are the 10 Heuristics?for Better User Interface Design==The 10 Originally developed in 1990, Jakob Nielson's ten heuristics for better usability in design is still relevant today and is used to evaluate the usability of as a user benchmark in many modern interface design systems. They are as follows:
Its It's best if a system can be used without any documentation, but when you need documentation make sure:
→What are the 10 Heuristics?
==What is a usability issue?==
A usability issue, is any issue that prevents the system from being easy, efficient , and effective to learn and use. Usability issues are ''objective'', such as contrast ratio of text on a background. Usability issues are not ''subjective '' or based on personal preference, such as “I don’t like orange”.
[[File:Usability-obj-vs-sub.png|thumb|none|400px|Usability issues are objective]]
==How can I test for usability issues?==
There are established standards called Heuristics that are used to evaluate the usability of a user interface design. You can learn more about these heuristics on [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/ this article] from the Nielsen Norman Group.
These 10 heuristics summarized below are a tool for discovering usability issues in a user interface.
===1. Visibility of System Status===
* Showing change (draw attention to things that have changed)
* Showing expected actions (tell me what I need to do next)
* Showing status (What is the current state of an element?)
===2. Match Between the System and Real World===
If I presented you with two labelsmarked "meet & greet" and "staff directory", “staff directory” and “meet and greet” would you know what you will get if you click clicked “meet and & greet”? Familiar language makes things easier for your users to understand.
[[File:Usability-meet.png|thumb|none|400px|Use familiar language]]
===3. User Control and Freedom===
Ever get stuck in a conversation and couldn’t think of a polite way to excuse yourself?
When working with a system accidental clicks happen, people will start going down a wrong path so it’s really important to give them an emergency exit, like a cancel, back or undooption. Don’t leave your users stuck somewhere they don’t want to be.
[[File:Usability-control.png|thumb|none|400px|Don’t leave users stuck somewhere they don’t want to be.]]
* Providing a path forward and back (undo/redo)
* Providing different ways to explore information (searching, filtering, viewing options)
* Providing an option for the user to leave a process (cancel, close, extit)
===4. Consistency and Standards===
[[File:Usability-consistant.png|thumb|none|400px|Keep the UI consistent and follow industry standards]]
Make sure buttons and links are named the same thing, are located in the same place, and put where they are expected to be.Ask yourself: do I know where to find desired links and buttons, do I know what they do, and are they always in the same place? Are repeating button and link configurations arranged consistently and reliably?
You can meet these criteria by:
===5. Error Prevention===
Have you ever been sent an email unintentionally?
It can be cringe -worthy when someone accidentally clicks “reply all” when they didn’t mean to.Help prevent your users from committing errors. If clicking a button that will cause a big change or possibly cause damage, tell the user what will happen and give them a path forward.
[[File:Usability-error-prevent.png|thumb|none|400px|Help prevent your users from committing errors]]
* Making objects, actions, options and directions visible or easily retrievable
* Not forcing the user to remember anything or thinktoo hard
* Avoiding codes and hurdles
* Providing visual representations
===7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use===
Help your users accomplish their goals faster and with less effort using accelerators.
# Provide a path forward, how does the user fix the issue? if possible, include a shortcut or something the user can click to resolve the issue
[[File:Usability-errormsg.png|thumb|none|400px|An error message the indicates an error occurred, tells the user what the problem is , and provides a path forward.]]
Help users understand and fix errors with clear messaging that explains the problem and how they should resolve the error. Ask yourself: when I encounter a problem, do I know what I did wrong, and how to fix it?
===10. Help and Documentation===
# It appears where it is needed
[[File:Usability-instructions.jpg|thumb|none|400px|Make sure help and documentation is clear, concise and where you need it.]]
Help users understand what is expected of them and how to do it by including context-sensitive instructions, highlighting new features and changes in functionality.Ask yourself: is my help documentation where it is needed, can ? Can my users understand what they need to do and are ? Are my users aware of new functionality and changes?
You can meet these criteria by:
