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Alternatives to Nielsen's heuristics

Todd Zazelenchuk talks about alternatives to Nielsen's usability heuristics, highlighting that although they are very popular, they don't always match the specific need at hand. To quote:

In a "true" HE [heuristic evaluation], Nielsen’s heuristics are used. However, many evaluators have found that Nielsen’s list does not always meet their specific needs and they frequently require alternative guidelines or some re-interpretation of Nielsen’s original descriptions in order for each item to make sense. Several variations on Nielsen's theme have been developed as a result [C] as well as numerous original efforts at creating both short and long lists of helpful guidelines [D].

Posted by jamesr on February 11, 2003 08:39 PM
Categories: Design & usability guidelines, Usability & user-centered design

Comments

yeah,i agree

Posted by: ujdryhjsryhj on February 18, 2003 08:38 PM

I do lots of evaluations, and never use heuristics (even though I was taught how to). I have thought about it a few times, and they never pick up the same issues as a usability evaluation, or even a 'gut feel' (aka professional opinion) assessment.

Posted by: Donna Maurer on February 20, 2003 08:08 PM