{"id":661,"date":"2026-03-02T16:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/?p=661"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:26:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:26:36","slug":"10-rules-of-thumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/2026\/03\/02\/10-rules-of-thumb\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ‘rules of thumb’ to consider when evaluating the usability of a digital product"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TwoCascade <\/strong>Waddell<\/strong>, Product Operations Analyst at Imperial shares 10 Usability Heuristics<\/strong> developed by Jakob Nielsen and Rolf Molich:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As a Product Operations Analyst with a UX design background, I regularly assess digital products against usability standards. To guide this assessment I rely on the 10<\/strong> Usability Heuristics<\/strong><\/span> <\/span>to identify usability issues and opportunities for improvement of producst at Imperial. These 10 steps can also be used in all parts of the product lifecycle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the 10 Heuristics made simple:<\/p>\n

1.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fVisibility of system status\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The user should always be aware of their current position in the system. This could be a confirmation message with a tick after completing an application or\u00a0an\u00a0order.\u202f It could also be a progress bar at the top of the screen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fRecognition rather than recall\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The system should help the user to recall previously entered or commonly selected information. For example, a form field that suggests recent entries, so the user\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have to remember or retype data.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fHelp users recognise errors\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Errors should use clear, plain language with instructions so that a user can understand\u00a0it. For example: 404 \u00b7 Page not found – Return to the homepage<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fFlexibility and efficiency of use\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The system should adapt to the\u00a0user\u2019s\u00a0preferences so that they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0spend time recalibrating the system. For example: the system allows the user to hide widgets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fAesthetic and minimalist design\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interfaces\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0overwhelm the user with unnecessary information so that the user can focus on the primary task. For example: using a task centric layout.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fHelp and documentation\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Help content should be easy for the user to access and\u00a0should be\u00a0written\u00a0clearly. Ideally, it sits at the top of the screen or in a visible\u00a0and\u00a0predictable place.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fUser control and freedom\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The user should be able to undo actions, navigate back, save progress, and resume tasks when needed. For example, there is a back button to go back and change previously entered information.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fError prevention\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The system should prevent mistakes, such as blocking invalid inputs or give the user validation feedback. For example, showing an error if an email address is incorrectly entered.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

9.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202fConsistency and standards\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pages should look and behave consistently so the user\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0need to relearn the interface on every screen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10.\u202f\u202fMatch between the system and the real world\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The system should use familiar language, icons, and concepts that reflect real-world experiences. For example, using a shopping basket icon to\u00a0represent\u00a0online orders helps users\u00a0immediately\u00a0understand what actions they have taken within the system. This alignment reduces confusion and makes the interface more intuitive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0conclusion\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using this framework consistently has helped ground assessments in defined heuristics rather than gut instinct. If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0looking for a strong starting point to evaluate an app or website, this framework is for you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Comment down below if\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0used this framework or any others to assess the usability of a website.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional Reading<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heuristic Evaluations: How to Conduct – NN\/G<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cascade Waddell, Product Operations Analyst at Imperial shares 10 Usability Heuristics developed by Jakob Nielsen and Rolf Molich: As a Product Operations Analyst with a UX design background, I regularly assess digital products against usability standards. To guide this assessment I rely on the 10 Usability Heuristics to identify usability issues and opportunities for improvement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":526,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[317396,317625,317622],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-tech-talent","category-digital-products","category-digital-solutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/526"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":663,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661\/revisions\/663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/ict-success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}