An expert review where specialists check an interface against a set of established usability rules of thumb to spot likely problems, without involving real users.
Synonyms
- expert review
- heuristic review
Related terms
In plain words
- an expert checking the design against a checklist of good-practice rules
- a professional spotting problems by the book
Usage example
A heuristic evaluation flagged that error messages didn't tell users how to recover.
Don't confuse with…
- usability testingA heuristic evaluation relies on experts and rules; usability testing relies on watching real users.
Categories
- UX research