6.3 Review

Identify common interface and interaction mistakes by testing the software against a few simple interface heuristics. The following set of 8 heuristics is derived from Nielsen (1994, 2005a) and Faaborg (2010a): Organization: Organize interfaces logically for users and based on the actions they perform. Don’t base it on underlying technical implementations. Consistency: Software should be consistent in itself and to other software so people get used to it more quickly. Discovery: Users should be able to discover functionality and information by exploring the interface and not be forced to recall information from memory. Simplicity: Interfaces should be as simple as possible, both visually and interactively. Interfaces should avoid redundancy. Feedback: Provide feedback about the current status. Interruption: Interfaces should not interrupt or ask questions (no pop-ups). Errors: Interfaces should handle errors gracefully through help and undo. Wording: Don’t use technical jargon or overly negative or dramatic expressions. The same system can then be used in the project’s bug tracking system to group the errors. See 7.3 Tag bugs.