An Introduction to General Heuristic Review
Heuristic evaluation originated in 1990 when Jakob Nielsen and Rolf Molich published a paper titled "Improving a Human-Computer Dialogue".
Heuristic evaluation is a method of inspection where evaluators review software against a set of usability principles. This chapter describes a general heuristic review, using broad principles to identify and prioritise common usability problems. Usability Harmonics is another form of heuristic evaluation, with a more detailed focus on workflows, design decisions and trade-offs.
Types of heuristic​
The heuristics we're talking about here are broad rules of thumb that describe common properties of usable interfaces. They are relatively high-level and can be applied to a wide range of user interfaces. There are in fact, a great number of heuristic ‘groups’ to choose from, I suggest picking a set you like the sound of and then giving them a go, to be honest, they're all quite similar. I’ve included run downs of 4 suitable sets below. the Gerhardt-Powals’ Cognitive Engineering Principles are perfect for data heavy software, although in the end, you will never go wrong with Jakob Nielsen’s list. This guide is not exhaustive, for example I have not included the Weinschenk and Barker Classification, which, in my experience, isn’t targeted enough to be of use for non-linear software like DCCs.
How to do a General Heuristic Review​
Choose the workflows and tasks you want to examine, then select a suitable set of heuristics. I suggest using three evaluators where possible, though one person can still conduct a useful review. Each evaluator should inspect the interface independently, working through the tasks and recording problems against the relevant principles. Afterwards, consolidate the findings and prioritise them according to their consequences for users.
For each finding, record where it occurs, the task it affects, and why it presents a difficulty. The usual result is a prioritised list of defects, with enough context to guide improvements. A general review can also reveal problems with underlying design decisions. Where a finding raises questions about concepts, dependencies or competing workflow needs, a Harmonics review can help you examine those questions in more depth.