Heuristic Evaluation & Expert Review Flashcards

Which heuristic is violated when a dialog box asks 'Are you sure you want to delete?' without offering an undo option afterward?

Answer: User control and freedom

User control and freedom requires that users have clearly marked 'emergency exits' and the ability to undo unwanted actions.

The heuristic 'Consistency and standards' primarily refers to which of the following?

Answer: Following platform conventions and ensuring similar actions have similar outcomes across the interface

Consistency and standards means users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing — the interface should follow platform conventions.

Which heuristic is most directly related to hiding advanced features from novice users while making them accessible to experts?

Answer: Flexibility and efficiency of use

Flexibility and efficiency of use means the system accommodates both inexperienced and experienced users, often through accelerators like keyboard shortcuts or expert modes.

An expert reviewer notes that a form displays a red border on invalid fields but provides no text message explaining the error. Which heuristic is violated?

Answer: Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Error messages should be expressed in plain language, precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution — a red border alone does not meet this standard.

What is the primary purpose of a debriefing session after individual evaluators complete a heuristic evaluation?

Answer: To aggregate findings, resolve duplicates, and prioritize issues as a group

The debriefing or aggregation session combines individual findings, removes duplicates, resolves discrepancies, and prioritizes issues for the design team.

Which of the following best describes the 'Aesthetic and minimalist design' heuristic?

Answer: Dialogues should not contain irrelevant or rarely needed information that competes with relevant content

Every extra unit of information competes with relevant information and diminishes its relative visibility, so dialogues should contain only necessary information.

In expert review methodologies, a 'pluralistic walkthrough' differs from a standard cognitive walkthrough by involving which additional participants?

Answer: A panel of usability experts, developers, and end users evaluating together

A pluralistic walkthrough involves usability experts, developers, and real users working through tasks simultaneously in a group setting to discuss and rate each step.