Jakob’s Nielsen 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design Evaluation
In the world of user interface design, Jakob Nielsen is a well-known name. He is a web usability consultant and has made some significant contributions to the field of usability engineering. One of his significant contributions is the development of ten usability heuristics for user interface design. These heuristics help designers to create interfaces that are easy to use, intuitive, and efficient.
Before we get started, mind that this article is written by a college student with limited experience in the UI/UX world and this article is written as one of my assignments in the JobHun UX Writer Camp 2023.
1. Visibility of System Status
The first heuristic is the visibility of system status. Users should always be informed about what is going on in the system. Feedback should be provided within a reasonable amount of time to keep users informed about the system’s current status. This heuristic is essential because it helps users to understand the system’s response time and how the system is processing their requests.
For example, when our friend on the other side of the phone is typing Whatsapp will show you the “Typing…” status so that you know the person on the other side is currently typing.
2. Match between the System and the Real World
The second heuristic is the match between the system and the real world. The system should speak the user’s language, with words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. The system should follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. This heuristic helps to reduce the learning curve for the user and makes the system more intuitive.
This is the reason why Instagram chose a home icon for its homepage because a home is where humans go or where we live. The same goes for the homepage on Instagram, it's a place where we go or where we live online. Also, the same goes for the Instagram shop which is indicated by a shopping bag icon since a shopping bag is used when people go shopping in the real world.
3. User Control and Freedom
The third heuristic is user control and freedom. Users often make mistakes, and the system should provide them with a “way out” of any undesired actions. This can be achieved by providing an “undo” function or a confirmation message before executing a significant action. This heuristic helps to reduce user anxiety and increases the user’s confidence in the system.
Since Reels has been introduced to Instagram, Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing social media but also a video-sharing one. So the way Instagram implemented the Reels icon (marked with the blue circle) is one example of giving the users control and freedom, in this case, to choose between seeing photos or videos.
4. Consistency and Standards
The fourth heuristic is consistency and standards. Consistency is crucial in interface design. Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Interfaces should follow established design standards and conventions. This heuristic helps to reduce the cognitive load on the user and makes the system more predictable.
In this UI mockup example, we can see the consistency of the color palette they use which is yellow, white, and black. Also, the consistency of the language used which is English, and not mixed with any other language.
5. Error Prevention
The fifth heuristic is error prevention. The system should be designed in such a way that users cannot make significant errors or, if they do, should have a simple way to recover from them. This heuristic helps to reduce the number of errors made by the user and increases the system’s overall reliability.
For example here, I try to search for the game “Genshin Impact” but I typed “genshn impct” to see if the Google search engine would prevent me from making the typo in the future, it did by correcting my spelling below.
6. Recognition Rather Than Recall
The sixth heuristic is recognition rather than recall. The design should make information visible and easy to find, reducing the user’s need to remember information from one screen to another. This heuristic helps to reduce the user’s cognitive load and makes the system more usable.
Let’s be honest, we hate it when we want to search for something but can’t seem to remember one or two specific keywords. The sixth heuristic which is Recognition Rather than Recall helps us with that. For example, the recommendation feature or usually the “did you mean…..?” feature in any search engine or social media shows us the sixth heuristic, which allows users to just see the recommended words given and see if they remember the specific keyword they’re looking for.
7. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
The seventh heuristic is the flexibility and efficiency of use. The design should cater to both novice and expert users. Shortcuts and accelerators should be provided for expert users, but novice users should still be able to use the system with ease. This heuristic helps to make the system more efficient and reduces the learning curve for the user.
When you are a Discord user and planning to buy a nitro subscription you’ll be greeted with two choices which are Nitro Basic and Nitro both subscription benefits are provided in each package square so the users both novice and advanced wouldn't have to wonder what’s the difference between the two subscriptions.
8. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
The eighth heuristic is the aesthetic and minimalist design. The design should not include extraneous information or features that are irrelevant to the task. The interface should be visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing. This heuristic helps to reduce the user’s cognitive load and makes the system more visually appealing.
When it comes to Aesthetic and Minimalist Design, I would take an example from colorhunt.co which is a website I use when looking for a nice color palette. It has an amazing minimalist UI with straightforward tabs on the top left side which are New, Popular, Random, and Collection which shows you color palettes from each respective category.
9. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
The ninth heuristic is to help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors. The system should provide clear and concise error messages, indicating the problem and what needs to be done to fix it. This heuristic helps to reduce user anxiety and makes the system more user-friendly.
As the picture above, perfectly portrays the ninth heuristic with the error message “Your new password cannot be the same as your current password” it tells the user that if they want to change their password they cannot put the same password that they currently use. So then the user recognizes the error then proceeds to make a new password.
10. Help and Documentation
The tenth and final heuristic is help and documentation. The system should come with help and documentation, but it should not be necessary to use. The design should be self-explanatory and easy to use, without requiring users to read through lengthy instructions. This heuristic helps to reduce the user’s cognitive load and makes the system more usable.
As seen in the example picture, Instagram has easy to use interface when it comes to the help center. It already has categories for the different variety of problems you may encounter on Instagram, for example, if you are having a problem with your account you may go to the “Manage Your Account” category in the help center.
To sum up, Jakob Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics for user interface design is an essential tool for designers. These heuristics help to make the system more intuitive, efficient, and easy to use. By following these heuristics, designers can create interfaces that are user-friendly and reliable.