Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics Flashcards

Front

Designs should keep users informed

about what is going on, through

appropriate, timely feedback.

Back

Visibility of

System Status

Front

The design should speak the users'

language. Use words, phrases, and

concepts familiar to the user, rather

than internal jargon.

Back

Match between

System and

the Real World

Front

Good error messages are

important, but the best designs

carefully prevent problems from

occurring in the rst place.

Back

Error

Prevention

Front

Interfaces should not contain

information which is irrelevant. Every

extra unit of information in an

interface competes with the relevant

units of information.

Back

Aesthetic and

Minimalist

Design

Front

Users oen perform actions by

mistake. They need a clearly marked

"emergency exit" to leave the

unwanted action.

Back

User Control

and Freedom

Front

Minimize the user's memory load

by making elements, actions, and

options visible. Avoid making users

remember information.

Back

Recognition

Rather Than Recall

Front

Error messages should be expressed

in plain language (no error codes),

precisely indicate the problem, and

constructively suggest a solution.

Back

Recognize,

Diagnose, and

Recover from Errors

Front

Users should not have to wonder

whether different words, situations,

or actions mean the same thing.

Back

Consistency

and Standards

Front

Shortcuts — hidden from novice users

— may speed up the interaction for

the expert user.

Back

Flexibility and

Eciency of Use

Front

It’s best if the design doesn’t need any

additional explanation. However, it

may be necessary to provide

documentation to help users complete

their tasks.

Back

Help and

Documentation