Yesterday we talked about the Laws of UX Design and one of the “laws” mentioned was Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics.
Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics are a set of design principles and guidelines used for evaluating the usability of user interfaces. They provide a framework for identifying and addressing usability issues in software, websites, and other interactive systems.
Here are Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics:
- Visibility of System Status 🌐: Users should always be informed of the current status and progress of their interactions with the system. This includes providing feedback about completed actions, errors, and any delays.
- Match Between System and the Real World 🌍: The system’s design and language should closely match the real-world concepts and language used by the users. This reduces cognitive load and makes the system more intuitive.
- User Control and Freedom 🕊️: Users should have the ability to easily navigate and exit from unwanted states or actions. Offering “undo” and “redo” options, as well as clear pathways to return to previous screens, is important.
- Consistency and Standards 📏: The system should be consistent in its design and behaviour. It should follow recognized conventions and standards, so users can predict how it works.
- Error Prevention 🚫: The design should aim to prevent errors from occurring in the first place. This can be achieved through clear and concise instructions, constraints, and confirming actions that have significant consequences.
- Recognition Rather Than Recall 🤔: Users should not be required to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Important information should be visible or easily retrievable.
- Flexibility and Efficiency of Use 💨: Experienced users should be able to perform tasks more quickly through shortcuts or advanced features, but these should not hinder less experienced users.
- Aesthetic and Minimalist Design 🎨: The design should be clean and uncluttered. Irrelevant information and extraneous elements should be minimized.
- Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors 🚧: Error messages should be clear and provide guidance on how to correct the problem. Users should not be left in the dark when they make a mistake.
- Help and Documentation 📚: If needed, users should have access to clear and concise documentation or help resources. However, the system should be designed in a way that minimizes the need for users to rely on such documentation.
These heuristics are widely used by UX designers and usability experts to evaluate and improve the user-friendliness of interfaces and ensure a more intuitive and efficient user experience. 🌟
Thanks for reading! 📚