Nielsen’s Heuristic Evaluation (Part 2)

Started this list a while back, and now I return with a few more points of Nielsen’s Evaluation:

3# User control and freedom
When designing an interface always wonder if users are free to do as they please. If so, bear in mind that mistakes are easily made, and as such there should always be a way to undo a chosen action. Flexible intuitive interfaces cause less irritation than a constricting step by step procedural interfaces that go only in one direction.

4# Consistency and standards
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Be consistent in your use of terminology and try to meet a user’s expectations when assigning a name to a menu option. Make use of the information that’s already there, let for example the system decide which language should be used by checking the browser language setting.

5# Error prevention
Where there are people and applications things are bound to go wrong at some point or another. A better solution than good collection of error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action. Making an application “idiot-proof” is an important way of avoiding complications in its use later on.

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