Design heuristics are rules of thumb or principles for design, based on empirical and research-informed best practices. Some design heuristics include the famous heuristics for interface design of Jakob Nielsen and the lesser-known cognitive engineering principles of Gerhardt-Powals.
Jakob Nielsen is a renowned user experience expert who has contributed significantly to the field of human-computer interaction. He has proposed ten general principles for interaction design that are widely used as a framework for designing user-friendly interfaces.
He originally developed the heuristics for heuristic evaluation in collaboration with Rolf Molich in 1990. Four years later, he refined the heuristics based on a factor analysis of 249 usability problems [Nielsen 1994a] to derive a set of heuristics with maximum explanatory power, resulting in this revised set of heuristics [Nielsen 1994b].
Jakob Nielsen & Rolf Molich
In 2020, NNg updated the heuristics, adding more explanations, examples, and related links. While they slightly refined the language of the definitions, the 10 heuristics themselves have remained relevant and unchanged since 1994. When something has remained true for 26 years, it will likely apply to future generations of user interfaces as well.
The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
When users know the current system status, they learn the outcome of their prior interactions and determine the next steps. Predictable interactions create trust in the product as well as the brand.
The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
The way you should design depends very much on your specific users. Terms, concepts, icons, and images that seem perfectly clear to you and your colleagues may be unfamiliar or confusing to your users.
Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process.
When it’s easy for people to back out of a process or undo an action, it fosters a sense of freedom and confidence. Exits allow users to remain in control of the system and avoid getting stuck and feeling frustrated.