Reflection

This week in UX design felt like taking a giant leap backward, only to land with a fresh perspective. We weren't pixel-pushing or prototyping; instead, we were equipping ourselves with a powerful lens – the lens of heuristic evaluations. This wasn't just about learning a new technique; it was about fundamentally reframing how we approach interface design.

Gone are the days of blindly diving into mockups and hoping for the best. Heuristic evaluations offer a structured, principle-based approach to dissecting interfaces, exposing their hidden flaws and paving the way for truly user-centric designs. The week felt like a masterclass in wielding Jakob Nielsen's 10 heuristics like Jedi mind tricks, uncovering inconsistencies, cluttered layouts, and cryptic error messages that lurk beneath the surface of even the most polished UIs.

Kainos coming next week at 10

Key Takeaways:

• Heuristic evaluations: This week delved into the powerful tool of heuristic evaluations for assessing user interface design. We learned about its focus on general principles, its role in redesigning and auditing UIs, and its value even in the absence of a dedicated UX team.
• Jakob Nielsen's 10 heuristics: We explored the cornerstone of heuristic evaluations - Nielsen's 10 heuristics. From ensuring clear system status to minimizing user memory load, these principles provide a valuable framework for creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
• Conducting evaluations: We covered the practical steps of conducting a heuristic evaluation, including the cognitive walkthrough technique and Nielsen's severity rating system.
• Translink case study: The lecture applied these concepts to a real-world example, analyzing the Translink website and identifying potential issues using the 10 heuristics. This provided a tangible understanding of how to identify and address usability problems.

//Notes taken in lecture

Today ESO / Cirdan talks

what is a heuristic evaluations? ( heuristic means General )

heuristic UX evaluation is an analytical evaluation … ( screen shot lecture pdf)

Review of goals and objectives

Compliance with UX standards

Wire framing prototyping