So, let’s go straight into the point in this post, which is discussing Nielsen’s heuristics and what I tried to integrate into my project, Dutchify, to make it follow the UI/UX design principles. Because, as we all know, I’m all about the rules. But, before we jump in, let’s understand what “heuristics” exactly means. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? ✨ I also found myself a bit lost in its meaning.
“Heuristics” is an approach that uses practical rules, intuition, and past experiences to solve problems. – I don’t know about you, but this seems very helpful to me – And why did I choose to apply this approach to Dutchify? Because it’s particularly useful when dealing with complex situations, where exhaustive analysis of all possibilities becomes impractical due to time, resource, or knowledge constraints – which is the scenario I faced in this project.
Now, let’s talk about proper Nielsen’s heuristics. First, who is this? Well, Jakob Nielsen is a renowned usability expert in the field of user interface design – So if you are a designer, you must know him 🦄 – and he developed guidelines to facilitate usability evaluation of systems and interfaces, especially in software design, websites, and applications. Now that you know him, let me present these guidelines to you:
- System Status Visibility 🔄: When interacting with systems, tracking progress is crucial. Having visibility of status and control is fundamental for a positive experience, whether through a progress bar in a video or an estimated duration in a survey.
- Match with the Real World 🌍: Interfaces should be familiar. A well-designed platform reflects the real world, adapting to the user’s language and expectations.
- User Freedom and Control 🎮: Empowering the user is of utmost importance. Providing options to undo actions and authorize data sharing puts the user in command.
- Consistency and Standards📏: Cohesive visual identity defines the platform. Colors, typography, images, and buttons should follow a style guide to be immediately recognizable.
- Error Prevention ⚠️: Errors are inevitable. Designing to minimize them is essential. Irreversible actions should be preceded by confirmations to avoid frustrations.
- Recognition over Recall 🧠: Simplification is essential. Autofill, shortcuts, and access to preferences reduce user effort and errors.
- Flexibility and Efficiency ⏩: Valuing speed is crucial. Default and customizable shortcuts streamline actions, catering to both new and experienced users.
- Aesthetic and Minimalist Design 🎨: Clean design is powerful. Simple visual composition, information hierarchy, and focus on essentials enhance the experience.
- Error Diagnosis and Recovery 🔍: Problems happen. Providing clear diagnoses and practical solutions is vital to keep the user in control.
- Help and Documentation📚: When heuristics are applied correctly, help is rarely needed. However, an accessible call centre and frequently asked questions (FAQs) can be useful when necessary.
Did I apply all these rules? Certainly tried! I made sure to apply them during the interface design phase. After all, it’s the designer’s responsibility to consider these rules to ensure a high-quality delivery. However, it’s also crucial to conduct an evaluation after the project’s completion. So, after the final evaluation of Dutchify, I identified some areas for improvement, including:
Help and Documentation 📖: The app lacked a help system, leaving users without direct support in case of issues. They would have to resort to the Apple or Google Store to report problems if the app was published.
Error Diagnosis and Recovery🔧: The app wasn’t programmed to signal errors, which could lead to unexpected crashes without any warning.
And there you have it! Keep following Dutchify’s journey with me and stay tuned for the next post. I hope you’ve gained something valuable from this text.
#UIDesign #Nielsen #heuristics #Process #App
