Heuristic Evaluation & Expert Review Flashcards

According to Nielsen's research, approximately what percentage of a product's usability problems can be found by a single expert evaluator?

Answer: Around 35%

Nielsen's research shows that a single evaluator typically finds approximately 35% of usability problems, reinforcing the need for multiple evaluators.

Which of the following is a key limitation of heuristic evaluation compared to usability testing with users?

Answer: It may miss problems that only emerge from real user behavior and context

Because heuristic evaluation uses experts rather than real users, it can miss problems that only become apparent when actual users interact with the system in their natural context.

When applying the heuristic 'Recognition rather than recall,' which design approach best satisfies this principle?

Answer: Making objects, actions, and options visible rather than requiring users to remember them

Recognition rather than recall means the interface should surface relevant information and options so users don't have to remember what to do — reducing cognitive load.

A UX team wants to evaluate a competitor's product without having user access. Which expert review method is most appropriate?

Answer: Heuristic evaluation by internal usability experts

Heuristic evaluation by internal experts can be conducted on any interface — including competitors' — without requiring access to that company's users or internal systems.

In Nielsen's severity rating system, a rating of '0' means:

Answer: The evaluator does not agree it is a usability problem at all

Severity 0 means the evaluator does not consider it a usability problem — it is used to record items reviewed but not classified as violations.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a violation of the 'Error prevention' heuristic?

Answer: A date picker allows users to select past dates for a future-only booking form

Error prevention means designing the system to prevent problems from occurring in the first place — allowing invalid date selection is a preventable error, unlike showing an error message after the fact.

What is a 'discount usability' approach, as championed by Jakob Nielsen?

Answer: Using fast, low-cost methods like heuristic evaluation and small-sample user tests to find most usability issues quickly

Discount usability refers to Nielsen's philosophy of using rapid, inexpensive methods (heuristic evaluation, think-aloud with 3–5 users, paper prototypes) to find the majority of usability problems without large budgets.