Description
See
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
Heuristic Evaluation
Guide
This guide utilizes Jakob Nielsen’s Heuristic Evaluation principles as its framework, providing
practical examples to illustrate each principle and enhance understanding.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
What is Heuristic Evaluation?
Heuristic evaluation is a method for evaluating interface issues for both websites and mobile
applications. The method was created by Jakob Nielsen in 1994, and it is still used today. This
method consists of 10 principles as follows (Nielsen, 1994):
1. Visibility of System Status
The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate
feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
Examples:
•
Progress bars: During file uploads, downloads, or complex calculations, a progress bar
provides clear visual feedback on the task’s progress.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
•
Loading spinners: When a page is loading, a spinning icon or animation indicates that the
system is working and prevents users from thinking the system has frozen.
•
Status messages: When an action is completed, a brief message like “File uploaded
successfully!” or “Password changed successfully!” confirms the action and provides
reassurance.
•
Error messages: Clear and informative error messages explain why an action failed and
provide guidance on how to correct it.
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College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
2. Match Between the System and the Real World
The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user,
rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural
and logical order.
•
Appointment scheduling: Instead of using terms like “schedule appointment” or “book
appointment,” a website could use language like “make an appointment” or “schedule a
visit,” mirroring how patients would phrase it in real life.
•
Medication management: A website could use a visual metaphor of a pill bottle to
represent a medication, making it easier for users to understand the function.
•
Symptom checker: A symptom checker could use a conversational tone and familiar
language, asking questions like “How long have you been experiencing this symptom?” or
“Where does it hurt?” instead of using medical jargon.
•
Patient portal: The patient portal could be organized into sections like “My
Appointments,” “My Medications,” and “My Medical Records,” mirroring the way patients
think about their health information.
•
Health education materials: Using clear and concise language, avoiding technical terms,
and incorporating visuals like diagrams or illustrations can make health information more
accessible and understandable for patients.
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College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
3. User Control and Freedom
Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the
unwanted action without having to go through an extended process.
•
Undo/Redo functionality: A website for managing medication schedules should allow
users to undo accidentally deleted entries or redo actions they’ve undone, preventing data
loss and frustration.
•
Canceling actions: During an online consultation, users should be able to cancel the
session at any point without losing their progress or incurring charges.
•
Saving progress: A symptom checker should automatically save user input, allowing them
to exit the system and return later without having to start over.
•
Customizable settings: Patients should be able to adjust notification settings, language
preferences, and other personal settings to tailor their experience.
•
Flexible navigation: Users should be able to easily navigate back and forth between
different sections of the website or app, without being locked into a specific flow.
•
Clear exit points: Websites and apps should provide clear and visible exit points, allowing
users to leave the system without difficulty.
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College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
4. Consistency and Standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same
thing. Follow platform and industry conventions.
Positive Examples:
•
Consistent navigation: A website should use the same navigation menu across all pages,
with consistent placement and labeling of menu items. This helps users find what they need
quickly and easily.
•
Standardized forms: All forms on the website should use the same layout and formatting,
with consistent labels and input fields. This makes it easier for users to fill out forms
accurately and efficiently.
•
Consistent terminology: The website should use the same terminology for similar
concepts across all pages. For example, “appointment” should always refer to a scheduled
visit with a healthcare provider, not a different type of meeting.
•
Consistent visual design: The website should use a consistent color scheme, font style,
and image style across all pages. This creates a cohesive and professional look and feel.
•
Standardized error messages: All error messages should have a consistent format and
provide clear and concise explanations of the error. This helps users understand and resolve
errors quickly.
•
Consistent feedback mechanisms: The website should use the same types of feedback
mechanisms, such as pop-up messages, tooltips, and progress indicators, across all pages.
This helps users understand how the system is responding to their actions.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
5. Error Prevention
Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring
in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions, or check for them and present users with
a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
•
Clear and concise instructions: A website for managing medication schedules should
provide clear and concise instructions on how to add, edit, and delete entries, reducing the
chance of users making mistakes.
•
Validation of input: A form for booking appointments should validate user input,
ensuring that dates, times, and other information are entered correctly. For example, it
could prevent users from selecting dates in the past or entering invalid phone numbers.
•
Pre-filled information: A patient portal could pre-fill information like name, address, and
insurance details, reducing the chance of users making errors when updating their profile.
•
Confirmation dialogues: Before users perform irreversible actions, such as deleting an
appointment or changing a medication schedule, the system should prompt them with a
confirmation dialogue to ensure they are making the intended action.
•
Limited options: Instead of providing a long list of options, a symptom checker could
present a limited number of relevant choices, reducing the chance of users selecting an
incorrect symptom.
•
Visual cues: Using color coding, highlighting, or other visual cues to guide users towards
the correct actions can help prevent errors. For example, a website could highlight required
fields in forms or use color to distinguish between different types of information.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
6. Recognition Rather than Recall
Minimize the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user
should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information
required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily retrievable
when needed.
•
Visual cues: A website could use icons or images to represent different types of health
information, making it easier for users to recognize what they need. For example, an icon
of a pill bottle could represent medication information, while an icon of a calendar could
represent appointment information.
•
Dropdown menus: Instead of requiring users to remember a long list of medications, a
website could use a dropdown menu to present a list of medications that the user has
previously accessed.
•
Autocomplete suggestions: When users are entering information, such as their name or
address, the system could provide autocomplete suggestions based on their previous
entries. This reduces the amount of typing required and reduces the chance of errors.
•
Frequently asked questions (FAQs): A website could provide a list of frequently asked
questions and answers, making it easy for users to find information without having to
search through the entire website.
•
Contextual help: A website could provide contextual help, such as tooltips or pop-up
messages, that appear when users hover over specific elements. This provides information
without requiring users to navigate away from the current page.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
•
Search functionality: A website should have a robust search function that allows users to
quickly find the information they need.
7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user so that
the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent
actions.
•
Keyboard shortcuts: A website could provide keyboard shortcuts for common actions,
such as navigating between pages or submitting forms. This allows experienced users to
complete tasks more quickly.
•
Customizable settings: A patient portal could allow users to customize their settings, such
as choosing their preferred language, font size, and notification preferences. This allows
users to tailor the system to their individual needs.
•
Multiple ways to complete tasks: A website could offer multiple ways to complete the
same task, such as allowing users to book appointments online, by phone, or through a
mobile app. This provides flexibility for users with different preferences and technical
abilities.
•
Progressive disclosure: A website could initially present users with a simplified view of
the system, gradually revealing more advanced features as they become more familiar with
it. This helps to avoid overwhelming beginners.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
•
Context-sensitive help: A website could provide contextual help, such as tooltips or popup messages, that appear when users hover over specific elements. This provides
information without requiring users to navigate away from the current page.
•
Clear and concise instructions: A website should provide clear and concise instructions
on how to use the system, making it easy for users to understand and complete tasks.
8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Interfaces should not contain information that is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of
information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their
relative visibility.
•
Clean and simple layout: A website should use a clean and simple layout with ample
white space, making it easy for users to focus on the most important information.
•
High-quality visuals: Using high-quality images, icons, and typography can enhance the
visual appeal of the website and create a professional and trustworthy impression.
•
Consistent color palette: Using a limited and consistent color palette can create a cohesive
and visually appealing design.
•
Clear typography: Using legible and easy-to-read fonts can improve readability and
reduce eye strain.
•
Minimalistic navigation: Using a simple and intuitive navigation menu can make it easy
for users to find the information they need.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
•
Focus on essential information: The website should focus on presenting essential
information clearly and concisely, avoiding unnecessary clutter or distractions.
9. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the
problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
•
Clear and concise error messages: Instead of generic error messages like “Error 404,” a
website should provide specific and informative messages that explain the error and
suggest possible solutions. For example, “The appointment time you selected is
unavailable. Please choose a different time.”
•
Descriptive error messages: Error messages should clearly describe the error and provide
enough context for users to understand what went wrong. For example, “The password you
entered is incorrect. Please try again.”
•
Actionable error messages: Error messages should provide users with clear instructions
on how to fix the error. For example, “Please enter a valid email address.”
•
Error prevention: The system should be designed to prevent errors in the first place. For
example, a form could validate user input, preventing them from entering invalid data.
•
Error recovery: The system should provide users with ways to recover from errors, such
as allowing them to undo actions or retry a task.
•
User-friendly error handling: The system should handle errors gracefully, avoiding
technical jargon or confusing language.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
10. Help and Documentation
It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to
provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.
•
Context-sensitive help: A website could provide tooltips or pop-up messages that appear
when users hover over specific elements, providing information about the element’s
function or purpose.
•
Tutorials: A website could offer interactive tutorials that guide users through the most
common tasks, such as booking an appointment or managing medication reminders.
•
FAQs: A website could provide a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions and
answers, covering common topics related to the system.
•
User guides: A website could offer downloadable user guides that provide detailed
instructions on how to use the system.
•
Search functionality: A website should have a robust search function that allows users to
quickly find the information they need.
•
Help center: A website could provide a dedicated help center that offers a variety of
resources, such as FAQs, tutorials, and contact information.
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
References
Nielsen, J. (1994, April 24). 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. Retrieved from
Nielsen Norman Group:
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
Course name:
Consumer Health Informatics
Course number:
HCI 214
CRN
Assignment title or task:
Select two of the 10 heuristic evaluation principles and
use them to evaluate a mobile health application.
Student Name:
Students ID:
Submission date:
Instructor name:
Grade:
…..out of 10
Saudi Electronic University
College of Health Sciences
Health Informatics Department
Guideline:
•
The assignment must be submitted with a properly filled cover sheet (Name, ID, CRN,
instructor name, submission date) in word document, Pdf is not accepted.
•
File name should be (HCI 214- Assignment – Your name).
•
Use proper references in APA style (Reference list and in-text citations).
•
Refer to this link for more information on how to write references in APA style:
style_guide/reference_list_author_authors.html
•
Follow APA style in formatting, which includes:
•
1 inch margin on all sides.
•
Double line spacing all text, including headings.
•
Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
•
Use Times New Roman font.
•
Font size should be 12pt.
•
Include a page number on every page.
•
Black font color.
•
Text justified.
•
Do proper paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism with proper references/sources.
•
AVOID PLAGIARISM
•
Due date: 09/11/2024
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