Heuristic review of an interface
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. Which best describes a heuristic review?
2. A student taps Submit on a form and nothing shows that it is loading or saved. Which heuristic is broken?
3. A form lets users type 'abc' in a phone number field and only complains after submitting. Which heuristic would you record?
4. One screen uses a red button labelled 'Delete' and another uses a green button labelled 'Remove' for the same action. Which heuristic is broken?
5. Which is the best way to record evidence for a problem found in a heuristic review?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1Heuristic: Visibility of system status | AThe interface keeps users informed about what is happening, for example with a progress bar or a confirmation message after an action. | |
| 2Heuristic: Error prevention | BScreen: Checkout | Heuristic: Consistency | Evidence: Screenshot 3 | |
| 3A reviewer rates how serious a problem is on a 0-4 scale, where 4 is a usability catastrophe that must be fixed first | CThe design stops mistakes before they happen, for example by greying out invalid options or asking for confirmation before a delete. | |
| 4Each problem is logged with the heuristic it breaks, the screen it was found on and the evidence, so the review can be checked by others | DThis is a personal opinion, not a problem linked to a named heuristic. A heuristic review must say which usability rule is broken and give evidence. | |
| 5Finding: I just don't like the colours on the Login screen. | EThe finding has no severity rating and no screen evidence, so the team cannot prioritise the fix or check that the problem is real. | |
| 6Finding: Delete button has no confirmation. Severity: none recorded. Evidence: none. | FSeverity: 4 (catastrophe) |
C
Definitions
heuristic review
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
Problem: No progress bar after tapping Pay
Heuristic: ___________________________
2.
Problem: Delete button has no confirmation
Heuristic: ________________
3.
Problem: Save icon differs on each screen
Heuristic: _________________________
4.
Scale: 0 = no problem, 4 = catastrophe
Problem: Checkout crashes for every user
Severity: _
5.
Screen: Login page
Problem: Error message only says Code 0x4F
________: Screenshot 3, red error banner
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
finding = {
B
"screen": "Checkout",
C
"heuristic": "Consistency",
D
"severity": 7
E
}
Question 2
A
problem = "No loading indicator"
B
severity = 3
C
rule = "Help and docs"
D
print(problem, "-", rule)
Question 3
A
findings = []
B
findings.add("Tiny font")
C
findings.append("No undo")
D
print(len(findings))
Question 4
A
evidence = "Screenshot 4"
B
problem = "Button label unclear"
C
note = problem - " / " - evidence
D
print(note)
Question 5
A
severity = 4
B
if severity >= 3
C
print("Fix before release")
D
else:
E
print("Fix later")
Answer Key
Heuristic review of an interface
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
B — Checking an interface against usability rules of thumb and recording each problem found
Q2
A — Visibility of system status
Q3
A — Error prevention
Q4
A — Consistency and standards
Q5
B — Note the screen name, attach a screenshot and describe what you saw
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
Heuristic: Visibility of system status → The interface keeps users informed about what is happening, for example with a progress bar or a confirmation message after an action.
Q2
Heuristic: Error prevention → The design stops mistakes before they happen, for example by greying out invalid options or asking for confirmation before a delete.
Q3
A reviewer rates how serious a problem is on a 0-4 scale, where 4 is a usability catastrophe that must be fixed first → Severity: 4 (catastrophe)
Q4
Each problem is logged with the heuristic it breaks, the screen it was found on and the evidence, so the review can be checked by others → Screen: Checkout | Heuristic: Consistency | Evidence: Screenshot 3
Q5
Finding: I just don't like the colours on the Login screen. → This is a personal opinion, not a problem linked to a named heuristic. A heuristic review must say which usability rule is broken and give evidence.
Q6
Finding: Delete button has no confirmation. Severity: none recorded. Evidence: none. → The finding has no severity rating and no screen evidence, so the team cannot prioritise the fix or check that the problem is real.
Section C: Definitions
Q1
heuristic review — Checking an existing interface against usability rules of thumb (e.g. Nielsen's heuristics), then recording each problem found with its severity and screen evidence.Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
Problem: No progress bar after tapping Pay
Heuristic: Visibility of system statusQ2
Problem: Delete button has no confirmation
Heuristic: Error preventionQ3
Problem: Save icon differs on each screen
Heuristic: Consistency and standardsQ4
Scale: 0 = no problem, 4 = catastrophe
Problem: Checkout crashes for every user
Severity: 4Q5
Screen: Login page
Problem: Error message only says Code 0x4F
Evidence: Screenshot 3, red error bannerSection E: Spot the Error
Q1
D — Nielsen's severity rating scale runs from 0 to 4, so 7 is not a valid rating. The severity should be a number from 0 to 4, such as 3.
Q2
C — A missing loading indicator breaks 'visibility of system status', not 'help and documentation'. The line should be rule = "System status".
Q3
B — Python lists have no add() method. To record a new problem in the list, use findings.append("Tiny font").
Q4
C — Strings cannot be subtracted. Join the problem and its screen evidence with +: note = problem + " / " + evidence.
Q5
B — An if statement must end with a colon. It should be: if severity >= 3: