Usability Heuristic checklists to ponder

Top 10 Usability Heuristics (Jacob Nielson, http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html)

Match between system and the real world

• The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms.
• Follow real-world conventions.
• Make information appear in a natural and logical order.

Recognition rather than recall

• Make objects, actions, and options visible.
• The user should not have to remember information from one part of the system to another.
• Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.

Visibility of system status

• The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Error messages should:

• Be expressed in plain language (no codes)
• Precisely indicate the problem
• Constructively suggest a solution

Error prevention

• Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.

User control and freedom

• Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state quickly.
• Support undo and redo.

Flexibility and efficiency of use

• Accelerators--unseen by the novice user--may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users.
• Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

Minimalist design

• Screens should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed.
• Every extra unit of information in a screen competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

Consistency and standards

• Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing.
• Follow platform conventions.

Help and documentation
It is better if the system can be used without documentation. If necessary, documentation should be:

• Easy to search
• Focused on the user's task
• List concrete steps to be carried out

• Not too large

Here is a detailed description from Denise Pierotta, Xerox, of specific things to look for when evaluating Nielsen's Heuristics: http://www.stcsig.org/usability/topics/articles/he-checklist.html.

WAI Site Heuristic Evaluation http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/UCD/current_eval.html

Taken from the W3C's WAI Site Heuristic Evaluation

Version: 2004.02.26
Note: This Web page is a working draft and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.

This document includes an evaluation of the current WAI Web site. Comments and additions can be submitted to wai-site-comments@w3.org (a public archive of comments is also available).

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A Detailed, General Purpose Checklist (Brinck, Gergle and Wood 2001)

Architecture and Navigation

• Does the structure fit the purpose?
• Is the navigation scheme clear?
• Where are you?
• How do you find what you want?
• Is there a reasonable number of navbar choices?
• Do link names match page names?
• Are links clearly marked?
• Is there a clearly marked link back to the home page?
• Is there an option to search for information?
• Is there a site map?
• Does every page make it clear which web site you're in?
• Does the user have control over navigation?

Layout and Design

• Does page size exceed window size?
• Is layout consistent between pages?
• Is there a clear focal point on each page?
• Does the layout work visually?
• Is alignment used effectively?
• Is grouping used effectively?
• Is there good contrast?
• Is the layout cluttered?
• Is it aesthetically pleasing?

Content

• Is the text clear and concise?
• Is text organized in small chunks?
• Are there spelling or grammar errors?
• Do pages include introductory text?
• Do multimedia components support the task?

Forms and Interaction

• Do forms support the task?
• Do dialogues follow a logical progression?
• Is it clear where to go next?
• Are dialogue methods concise and consistent?
• Are form elements used properly?
• Are elements grouped properly?
• Are there clear Submit buttons?

Graphics

• Is image quality adequate?
• Do the images include alternate text?
• Do the images include size information?
• Do the images use a consistent light source?
• Are images stored for maximum compression?
• Is mouse-over feedback provided? Is it useful?
• Are animations useful? Are there too many? Are they properly compressed?

Color

• Is the choice of colors appropriate for the site?
• Are too many colors used?
• Are colors used consistently?
• Are graphics colors dithered?
• Do color choices work in grayscale?

Typography

• Is the text legible?
• Is the font size large enough?
• Is the font color appropriate and is there sufficient contrast?
• Is the text formatted for 10 - 12 words per line?
• Are there sufficient margins?
• Are typefaces used properly and consistently?

Error Tolerance

• Do users need to remember items across pages or sessions?
• Are confirmations provided before risky or costly actions?
• Are risky or costly actions reversible?
• Are entry errors caught locally?
• Do error pages provide useful information?
• Do search-error pages provide broadening tips?
• Is help available?
• Is help task-oriented?
• Is help contextual?

Platform and Implementation

• Is load-time fast enough? Does it load in 3 to 15 seconds?
• Do all the links work?
• Are there broken images?
• Are pages written to be found by search engines?
• Does the site work with the user's browser?
• Does the site work with the user's hardware platform?
• Does the site work on high and low resolution monitors?
• Are nonstandard plug-ins required? Are they necessary or useful?