Abstract
Michael D. Levi and Frederick G. Conrad
(1996) "A Heuristic Evaluation of a World Wide Web Prototype," Interactions
Magazine, July/August, Vol.III.4, pp. 50-61.
While a particular software system may be evaluated on the
basis of many technical criteria, the system must ultimately
be judged by its usability: To what degree does it help users
accomplish their task(s) and to what degree are the users
satisfied with their experience. One tool to help developers
identify and repair problem areas in the user interface is
usability testing. Heuristic evaluation is a
"discount" approach to identifying interface
problems which can be administered for little or no cost,
without special training, in a relatively short period of
time.
In the Fall of 1994, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had just
completed a prototype for a public access system to be
distributed over the World Wide Web. Since our resources
(human, material, and financial) were quite limited, we
carried out a heuristic evaluation of the prototype to
identify problem areas that could be avoided in the final
product, but also to evaluate the inspection method itself
and determine whether it might prove fruitful in other
development efforts. This talk will report our findings. We
will concentrate on our experience with the method, and our
judgment of its strengths and weaknesses.
Last Modified Date: July 19, 2008
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