Usability Heuristic Reviews

• Is your Website or application suffering from major usability, navigation, or other "user experience" problems?
• Are you have trouble retaining customers?
• Do you offer a number of products or sites that all look and work differently?
• Does your site or program need a serious update because of new functions or product/service offerings?

Theo Mandel's usability heuristic reviews are grounded in industry standards, guidelines, and commonly accepted good practices of interface design and usability. The review is based on an understanding of who your users are and what they do. After a usability review, you'll know exactly how your site's or product's usability and user experience really stacks up. Mandel's usability reviews are an unbiased expert's insight into your company's applications and sites.

Mandel's usability report contains detailed information on key usability issues, graphic examples, and recommendations of short- and long-term fixes and enhancements to your product design.

Ready to go? Need help? Ask for a heuristic review proposal!

Depending on the size and complexity of your Website or application and the nature of the user tasks and scenarios, a usability heuristic review usually takes no more than two weeks. Most reviews can be conducted remotely, saving you travel and living expenses. The final report is delivered by e-mail and a presentation and discussion session is usually conducted onsite or by conference call. Ask us to send you a proposal for a usability review.

Request a heuristic review proposal now!
 

More about Usability Heuristic Reviews

Usability heuristics were originally developed by Jakob Nielsen in 1990. Heuristics can be grouped into these basic ten categories:
   1. Visibility of system status
   2. Match between system and the real world
   3. User control and freedom
   4. Consistency and standards
   5. Error prevention
   6. Recognition rather than recall
   7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
   8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
   9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
  10. Help and documentation

Mandel's heuristic reviews typically address these critical topics:

• Product and company branding elements (graphics, color, text)
• Effectiveness and appeal of the home page
• Use of graphic elements and visual metaphors
• Use of Flash, animation, video and audio technology
• Appropriate use of interface elements and controls
• Site organization and navigation
• Screen layout, design and navigation
• Window management and window sizing
• Business, product, and user terminology
• Use of keyboard and mouse modes in the interface
• Information and feedback (help, messages, mouse-overs, status area)
• Text color, font style and font size
• User preferences, customization and personalization
• System and application performance
• Scalability of information presentation, navigation and interaction (handling large amounts of data)
• Use of protected/unprotected fields
• Use of Required/optional fields
• Icons and graphics
• Accessibility issues
• Error processing
• Key interface design and usability issues with competitors’ products

The heuristic review process culminates in informal and/or formal reports consisting of topic reviews, comments, recommendations, and product screen captures, with suggested revisions and improvements based on industry examples and screen captures when possible. The report also prioritizes the interface design and usability issues to help clients define key issues and how/when to address them.