10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design
Working with UI means finding ways to develop interactions that improve the user experience. The user interface should not confuse, demand, or stress the visitor.
Instead, the user journey should be fluid enough so that navigation is intuitive and easy.
Therefore, one of the designer’s tasks is to ensure that users do not need outside help to operate the product.
How can you ensure that interactions are fluid and ensure a great experience?
Nielsen’s heuristics are general principles and do not specify specific usability rules. Instead, heuristics are general rules of thumb that can be followed to create digital products that are more accessible, user-friendly and intuitive.
They created these heuristics through observations and expertise gained through years of professional experience.
Heuristic 1 : Visibility of system status
The first principle is to keep users informed of their actions and what is happening in a particular interaction.
When users are informed of the current system status, they can learn the results of past interactions to make better decisions about next steps.
As such, it’s important to inform the status of the interaction and provide immediate feedback that helps guide the user and guide them to the next step.
Remember: predictable design builds trust in your product.
Example: Check the below image where when someone uploads image the system shows how much its been uploaded or uploading and how much its remaining to complete the job.
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Heuristic 2 : Match between system and the real world
According to this idea, a system must constantly employ the user’s language and adhere to social norms.
This involves staying away from marketing speak or other terms that may be common among those creating the product but not with its target consumer. Use language, concepts, and expressions that your intended audience will understand.
Also, for a connection to be made with reality, elements should be arranged logically so that people may make sense of it in light of their own experiences.
Example: The desktop calculator application. The real calculator served as the model for the calculator app’s user interface. The calculator user interface looks flat and simple, yet it functions exactly like a real one. The calculator interface’s familiar interactions and components make it simpler for users to operate without prior training.
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Heuristic 3 : User control and freedom
A smart user interface design should never force the user to take an action or make a choice for them. The system should only offer potential paths for users to take.
With the exception of regulations that contradict the system or obstruct certain functions, the interactions you design must grant users the flexibility to choose and act as they see fit.
Don’t forget to account for the possibility that people may change their minds or make a mistake. As a result, it’s important to consider how the system can let users undo and repeat their activities as necessary.
Example: Example of Google Docs showing undo and redo options.
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Heuristic 4 : Consistency and standards
To prevent user confusion, this heuristic advocates having the same language throughout the system.
Users shouldn’t be in the dark regarding the meaning of the words, icons, or symbols used when interacting with a product.
In order to retain interaction patterns across many contexts, an interface must adhere to the conventions of the system.
Designers should produce a unified design that uses the same terminology and treats related objects similarly.
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Heuristic 5 : Error prevention
This heuristic proposes that a good design should always be trouble-free.
Consider a button to delete files, for instance. It is necessary to presume that users may mistakenly press this button or that they may be able to envision an alternative outcome.
It is crucial to create a warning message to ask the user to confirm their choice before proceeding with the deletion in order to avoid the user becoming irate if they destroy data by accident.
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Heuristic 6 : Recognition rather than recall
This heuristics aim to reduce the user’s cognitive load, which includes the user’s memory capacity.
Therefore, it is important to think about how to visualize options and executable components. This is important because it is easier to recognize something than to remember it.
Users do not have to remember every action or function of the system. So always leave small reminders of information to help users navigate your design.
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Heuristic 7 : Flexibility and efficiency of use
Our design should serve both beginners and experienced users.
Inexperienced users will need more information. But as we continue to use the product, we will become a more experienced user. It’s a good practice to do so so that we can customize processes such as creating keyboard shortcuts.
Also, try to enable personalization by customizing content and features for individual users.
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Heuristic 8 : Aesthetic and minimalist design
As a designer, don’t prioritize aesthetics over functionality.
Therefore, create interactions that contain only essential information. Avoid unnecessary visuals that can overwhelm and distract users.
Remember: Additional information competes with relevant and essential data and distracts from what is important.
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Heuristic 9 : Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Design should help users identify problems and errors and find solutions.
To do this, express the error her message in plain text. Don’t use code, just be clear. Also, don’t forget to tell us what went wrong and suggest a solution.
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Heuristic 10 : Help and documentation
Nielsen’s final heuristics document helps users understand how they perform their tasks.
All the heuristics above are intended to help users avoid mistakes and navigate easily without assistance, but it’s always important to provide further assistance.
This way, you always have help documentation that is easy to find and focused on what the user needs to do. A best practice is to list specific steps that users can take to successfully complete a task.
Final Thoughts on UI Heuristics
Nielsen’s heuristics are essential to UX and help you design better. The ideal scenario is to use heuristics from the beginning of the project to avoid future adjustments.
With a minimalist approach and an easy-to-understand, intuitive design, it engages users both online and in the physical world. By following Nielsen 10 heuristics, designers can create user-friendly, accessible, and intuitive products.
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