10 Usability Heuristics: From Theory to Practice

Course Curriculum

Why the 10 Usability Heuristics Matter (4 Lessons, 31 min)

• Introduction to Usability Heuristics
• What Are Heuristics?
• Evolution of Usability Heuristics
• Pros and Cons of Relying on Heuristics

Visibility of System Status (7 Lessons, 82 min)

• Why It Matters
• Immediate Feedback (Within 1 Second)
• Short-Term Processes (2 Seconds to a Few Minutes)
• Long-Running Processes (Hours to Days)
• Wayfinding Cues
• System Mode and State
• System Health and Resource Usage

Match Between System and the Real World (5 Lessons, 69 min)

• Skeuomorphism and Language
• Icons and Mapping
• Mental Models
• Schemas and Scripts
• Signifiers

User Control and Freedom (5 Lessons, 56 min)

• Why It Matters
• Principles Behind the Heuristic
• Undo and Redo
• Navigation and Back to Previous Step
• Flexible Workflows

Consistency and Standards (5 Lessons, 74 min)

• Why It Matters
• Determining Standards
• Principles Behind the Heuristic
• Visual and Structural Consistency
• Language and Terminology Consistency

Error Prevention (4 Lessons, 51 min)

• Why It Matters
• Smart Defaults and Input Constraints
• Form Validation
• Destructive Actions

Recognition Rather Than Recall (4 Lessons, 68 min)

• Why It Matters
• Navigation, Breadcrumbs, Links, and Contextual Guidance
• Forms and Inputs
• History and Favorites

Flexibility and Efficiency of Use (5 Lessons, 62 min)

• Why It Matters
• Five Factors for Deciding How Much Flexibility to Offer
• Accelerators
• Progressive Disclosure
• Customization and Personalization

Aesthetic and Minimalist Design (6 Lessons, 77 min)

• Why It Matters
• Visual Hierarchy
• Scale
• Contrast
• Balance
• Gestalt

Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors (2 Lessons, 19 min)

• Why It Matters
• Error Messages

Help and Documentation (2 Lessons, 22 min)

• Proactive Help
• Reactive Help

Key Takeaways (2 Lessons, 12 min)

• Heuristic Themes
• Applying Heuristics to the Design Process