Nielsen’s Heuristics as the North Star of User Experience
Have you ever tried out different Apps or sites and noticed that one of them gives you instructions and directs your actions while the others require a lot of clicking around, just to find whatever it is that you need? Enter the world of Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics, the unsung heroes shaping the user experience of your favorite digital spaces. For every user who has experienced the agony of a confusing interface, this blog would be your beacon.
On the Web, usability is a necessary condition for survival. If a website/app is difficult to use, people leave. If the homepage fails to clearly state what a company offers and what users can do on the site/app, people leave. If users get lost on a website/app, they leave. If a website’s/app’s information is hard to read or doesn’t answer users’ key questions, they leave. — Jakob Nielsen
Our mission is clear: to dispel the mystery surrounding heuristics and unveil the power of user-centred design. We shall be analyzing some of the websites and applications through Nielsen’s heuristic to find out who violates them and make appropriate suggestions to overcome those violations. From the visibility of system status to the prevention of errors, we’ll delve into each heuristic, providing practical insights.
So, are you prepared to set out on a voyage of discovery and transformation? Let’s move forward with Nielsen’s ten heuristics to the modern world through designs that may be both pleasing and successful.
1. Visibility of system status
Visibility of system status is vital for a smooth user experience. It ensures users are informed about ongoing processes, similar to a progress bar. When implemented well, it enhances user confidence and control, making the digital journey more user-friendly, similar to a reliable GPS guiding your path.
Violation: Netflix App
In the dynamic hustle of Mumbai’s local train commutes, even the simplest digital pleasures, like streaming a Netflix video, can become an exercise in patience. The spotty network connectivity exacerbates the frustration, causing the video to linger endlessly in a loading loop without any visible progress on the screen. The absence of a clear system status indicator plunges the traveler into uncertainty, questioning whether the video will play or if they’re ensnared in an eternal loading cycle. Improving the user experience requires a more transparent loading screen, offering visual cues in fluctuating network conditions, ensuring travelers stay informed and patient during their Mumbai local journey.
Suggested improvement:
A straightforward remedy for this challenge involves incorporating a user-friendly feature: a visible percentage indicator indicating the progress of buffering. This transparent addition not only keeps travelers informed about the progress but also transforms the loading screen into a navigable interface, eliminating the uncertainty associated with spotty network connectivity.
2. Match between system and the real world
Match between system and the real world highlights the need for digital interfaces to reflect users’ real-world experiences. It’s like translating tech-speak into a language users easily understand. When this heuristic is applied, users feel more at home navigating a website or app because the design aligns with their familiar experiences. This principle aims to reduce the learning curve, ensuring users can effortlessly interact with digital systems as if they were an extension of their everyday reality.
Violation: Spotify App
Using the term “discography” in spotify can cause a cognitive dissonance among those non-initiated into the jargon of a music industry user. It is used on an artist’s page to represent their entire body of work.
Suggested improvement:
Enhance the match between the system and the real world by replacing “discography” with a more familiar term like “collection” on the artist’s page. This adjustment ensures a clearer and more user-friendly representation of an artist’s complete recordings.
3. User control and freedom
User control and freedom empowers users to navigate digital spaces with confidence and ease. Imagine it as having a virtual safety net — users can easily correct errors or backtrack without feeling trapped. This heuristic ensures users maintain control, offering a positive experience similar to having the steering wheel on their digital journey, allowing them the freedom to explore and correct their path as needed. It fosters a user-centric environment where individuals feel empowered and in charge of their online interactions.
Violation: Twitter / X
Twitter (or “X”) restricts user control and freedom by not allowing users to edit tweets once they have been posted. This limitation hinders users’ ability to correct errors or update their content easily.
Suggested improvement:
To enhance user control and freedom, twitter/X should consider implementing a feature that allows users to edit their tweets after posting them. This small adjustment would empower users to make corrections or updates without the need to delete and repost, providing a more flexible and user-friendly experience on the platform.
4. Consistency and standards
Consistency and standards give users some sort of predictability, similar to using a well known recipe — they know what to expect making it more user-friendly. It ensures that elements such as buttons, icons, and navigation remain uniform throughout, reducing confusion. Consistency also fosters a sense of reliability, further enhancing user experience, making it easier for users to learn and interact. It’s like using the same layout for multiple pages of a website which results in a smoother and much more intuitive experience.
Violation: Myntra
Myntra exhibits inconsistency in layout and design between desktop and mobile app, disrupting the standards of a seamless user experience and making it difficult for users to seamlessly transition between platforms. Additionally, the absence of the “Hot Trends” and “Explore” tabs/features on the website further contributes to a lack of standardization in content discovery.
Suggested improvement:
Improve consistency and stick to design standards by ensuring a uniform layout and design across desktop and mobile platforms. For instance, using the same names for the tabs on both platforms, using the same “shop by category” section using the same cards, and integrating the missing “Hot trends” and “Explore” tabs/features on the website to establish a standardized browsing experience. These enhancements will not only streamline user transitions between devices but also ensure that users encounter a cohesive and familiar interface, promoting a more intuitive and predictable interaction with Myntra’s online platform.
5. Error prevention
Error prevention is a crucial aspect of user-centric design, acting as a digital safety net. It’s similar to having an auto-correct feature that anticipates and avoids mistakes. It minimizes errors through clear guidance and fail-safes such as confirmation prompts, which ensures that users can navigate interfaces with confidence and minimal frustration, much like having a helpful companion along the digital journey.
Violation: Facebook
Facebook’s sign-up process lacks effective error prevention for password requirements. Users are only informed about password issues after clicking the “Sign Up” button, leading to potential frustration and repeated attempts.
Suggested improvement:
Implement real-time password checking during the sign-up process. Display a dynamic feedback interface that indicates the fulfilment of password requirements in real-time. This includes features such as turning each category (length, upper case, lower case, special character) green when fulfilled and showing clear messages like “Your password should be at least 6 characters long” to guide users towards creating a secure and compliant password before attempting to sign up. This proactive approach enhances error prevention, ensuring users create strong and acceptable passwords without the need for trial and error.
6. Recognition rather than recall
Recognition rather than recall prioritizes easy access to information, reducing the need for users to remember details. ensuring users can recognise options without relying on memory. This heuristic, much like a user-friendly menu, enhances usability by presenting recognisable choices, eliminating the need for users to recall specific commands. This approach enhances usability, making digital interfaces more intuitive and user-friendly.
Violation: PayTM
Paytm app exhibits a recognition rather than recall violation by presenting an overwhelming amount of information, including numerous options and features related to payments, bookings, and more. This overload may hinder users’ ability to focus, understand, and recall essential information, as excessive details can create confusion and reduce the visibility of critical UI elements.
Suggested improvement:
To address this violation, implement the principle of progressive disclosure in the Paytm app’s design. Streamline the user interface by showing only necessary information at each stage, avoiding information overload. Prioritize the display of essential options and features, allowing users to easily navigate through the app without feeling overwhelmed. Provide clear pathways for users to access additional details or functionalities progressively, ensuring a more focused, understandable, and user-friendly experience. Such improvements can be seen in GooglePay app and we can take it as a suggestion for the improvements, them being very similar applications.
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
Flexibility and efficiency of use are vital aspects of user-friendly design. Think of it as having shortcuts for power users, allowing experienced individuals to navigate swiftly. It ensures that both novice and expert users can interact with the system effectively. By incorporating shortcuts or advanced features, the design caters to a diverse audience, making the digital journey efficient and enjoyable for everyone.
Violation: Twitter / X
The current interaction design lacks flexibility and efficiency for expert users when initiating a new action on the platform. Clicking on the plus sign only displays a pop-up with options to go live, host spaces, post photos, or tweet, without a more streamlined option for frequent users.
Suggested improvement:
Enhance flexibility and efficiency by introducing a long-press feature on the plus sign. When users long-press, they should be directly redirected to the tweet posting interface. This modification caters to expert users, providing a quicker and more seamless method for initiating a tweet. The long-press feature adds a layer of efficiency for those familiar with the platform, promoting a smoother user experience.
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
Aesthetic and minimalist design focus on simplicity and visual appeal. It prioritizes visually pleasing layouts with minimal distractions, making user engagement easier. In much the same way, usability for an interface is similar to a well-designed room where users feel comfortable and do things efficiently, leading to a better overall user experience.
Violation: PayTM
Paytm app violates the heuristic of aesthetic and minimalist design by presenting an overwhelming amount of information, including numerous options and features related to payments, bookings, and more. This overload may hinder users’ ability to focus, understand, and recall essential information, creating confusion and reducing the visibility of critical UI elements.
Suggested improvement:
To address this violation, embrace the heuristic of “aesthetic and minimalist design” in the Paytm app. Consider the idea of progressive disclosure to simplify the user interface by showing the minimum number of data items for every step. Take, for instance, the minimalist app design in services such as Google Pay to prioritize essential options and features. The approach makes the user interface more aesthetic, focused, and friendly for the user.
9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors is a crucial principle in user-centric design. It’s like having a reliable assistant that not only points out mistakes but also offers solutions for a smoother recovery. It ensures users are not left stranded when something goes wrong, providing clear and actionable guidance. This approach enhances user confidence and promotes a positive overall experience.
Violation: Whatsapp
When communicating on Whatsapp, users are not informed in cases where the message is aborted mid-way by network problems. The users do not know what prompted the failure or what they should do to remedy it.
Suggested improvement:
To address this violation, introduce a visual indicator such as a red exclamation mark when a message fails to be sent due to a network error. Implement a long-press feature on the indicator, offering users the option to send the message via SMS as an alternative due to network issues. This improvement enhances user understanding of the error, provides a pathway for recovery, and empowers users to take informed actions to ensure successful message delivery despite network challenges.
10. Help and documentation
Help and documentation play a vital role in user-friendly design, acting as a supportive guide. Think of it as having a manual that explains features and provides solutions. This heuristic ensures that users can easily access assistance when needed, reducing frustration and promoting a more enjoyable user experience.
Violation: Instagram
Instagram violates the principle of “Help and documentation” by not providing integrated tutorials within the app itself. People not familiar with some editing software or applications would feel stuck. Users are required to seek assistance from external websites or online forums to learn, leading to inconvenience and time-consuming efforts.
Suggested improvement:
To address this violation, implement an interactive onboarding tutorial in the reels section within the app. We can also include integrated tutorials on how to make and edit reels and posts, FAQs, and support options to provide users with immediate assistance and guidance without relying on external sources. This improvement enhances the user experience by offering convenient and readily available help resources within the app, ensuring users can navigate and utilise Instagram features more effectively.
From the vital importance of the visibility of system status to the need for a match between the digital and real worlds, each heuristic serves as a guiding principle for crafting user-centric designs. By delving into real-world examples, we’ve highlighted both violations and suggested improvements, offering practical insights into the application of these principles. Thank you for joining us on this insightful journey. May these heuristics be your compass in navigating a digital landscape that enhances your overall experience.
