This short insight is from of our Methods series: A discussion of useful working practices and ideas for better ideation and execution.  We discuss what each method is, why they are useful, and how to utilize them.

What.

A method to identify the problems without conducting in-depth Stakeholder and User Interviews.

Why.

This evaluation method allows for faster results with less resources.

How.

1. Gather 3 to 5 people—those who are familiar with evaluation methods. They are usually not users.

2. Ask each person to create their list of 'heuristics' or general usability best practices. Examples of general usability best practices can be found from Jakob Nielsen's '10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design'

• Visibility of system status
• Match between system and the real world
• User control and freedom
• Consistency and standards
• Error and prevention
• Recognition rather than recall
• Flexibility and efficiency of use
• Aesthetic and minimalist design
• Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
• Help and documentation

3. Ask each person to evaluate the website against their list and write down possible problems.

4. After individual evaluations, gather people to discuss what they found and prioritize potential problems.

Further Discussion.

The 'Heuristic Evaluation' approach serves as a good starting point for problem identification. It opens the discussion by inviting participants to share their perspectives, allowing for the exchange and comparison of ideas. Heuristic evaluation is the first stride that takes us one step closer to deciphering the solutions.

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