CUA Heuristic Evaluation & Expert Review 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many usability heuristics did Jakob Nielsen define in his widely adopted heuristic evaluation framework?
- 7
- 8
- 10 (Correct answer)
- 12
Correct answer: 10
Jakob Nielsen defined 10 usability heuristics, which have become the standard framework for heuristic evaluation.
Question 2: Which of Nielsen's 10 heuristics is best addressed when a system provides status indicators, progress bars, and loading messages?
- Match between system and real world
- Visibility of system status (Correct answer)
- User control and freedom
- Recognition rather than recall
Correct answer: Visibility of system status
Visibility of system status means the system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback.
Question 3: In a heuristic evaluation, what is the recommended minimum number of evaluators to achieve good problem coverage?
- 1
- 2
- 3–5 (Correct answer)
- 8–10
Correct answer: 3–5
Research shows that 3–5 evaluators find the majority of usability problems; fewer miss too many issues and more yield diminishing returns.
Question 4: Which heuristic is violated when a system uses jargon and technical language that the target users do not understand?
- Consistency and standards
- Error prevention
- Match between system and real world (Correct answer)
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
Correct answer: Match between system and real world
Match between system and real world requires that the system use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, not internal system terminology.
Question 5: What distinguishes a heuristic evaluation from a cognitive walkthrough?
- Heuristic evaluation requires end users as participants
- Cognitive walkthrough focuses on learnability for new users step-by-step (Correct answer)
- Cognitive walkthrough uses predefined principles to rate problems
- Heuristic evaluation only tests aesthetic design issues
Correct answer: Cognitive walkthrough focuses on learnability for new users step-by-step
A cognitive walkthrough focuses on evaluating whether a new user can learn to use the system by stepping through tasks sequentially, whereas heuristic evaluation rates the interface against usability principles.
Question 6: During heuristic evaluation, evaluators typically work through the interface how many times?
- Once to get an overview only
- At least twice: first to get a feel, then to focus on specific elements (Correct answer)
- Three or more times for statistical reliability
- As many times as needed until consensus is reached
Correct answer: At least twice: first to get a feel, then to focus on specific elements
Nielsen recommends evaluators go through the interface at least twice — a first pass to get a general feel and a second to focus on specific elements and log issues.
Question 7: Which severity rating scale is most commonly used to prioritize findings in a heuristic evaluation?
- A binary pass/fail scale
- A 0–4 scale based on frequency, impact, and persistence (Correct answer)
- A 1–10 scale based solely on frequency of occurrence
- A qualitative scale of low, medium, and high only
Correct answer: A 0–4 scale based on frequency, impact, and persistence
Nielsen's 0–4 severity scale considers frequency, impact, and persistence, resulting in scores from 0 (not a usability problem) to 4 (usability catastrophe).
CUA Heuristic Evaluation & Expert Review 1
How many usability heuristics did Jakob Nielsen define in his widely adopted heuristic evaluation framework?