Over the last couple of days I've been looking at the presentation-sharing channels authorSTREAM and SlideShare and how these two services enable the delivery of content via the Web. Both services rely on common read/write Web design and interaction patterns; like many other social sharing services, users are able to add tags, rate, comment, and embed content.
One of the nice things about assessing these two services is that it gives me a rare opportunity to discuss usability heuristics. According to Microsoft, the heuristic evaluation process is
a quick method to evaluate any user interface (UI) by using a list of heuristics or guidelines. Ideally, two or three people independently evaluate the UI using the heuristics so that the usability issues that each person finds can be compared. This evaluation technique can be used throughout the development process, from early screen shots to fully implemented code, but it is a good idea to run heuristic evaluations early in the development process so that the UI can be redesigned.
(Microsoft.com)
In this context, heuristics are "rules of thumb" or design principles used to evaluate the conformance of user interface (UI) features and functionality in computer applications. Probably the most well-known advocate of the heuristic evaluation approach is web usability consultant Jakob Nielsen.
Table 1 Nielsen's Heuristics
| Heuristic | Description |
| Visibility of system status | The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. |
| Match between system and the real world | The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. |
| User control and freedom | Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo. |
| Consistency and standards | Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. |
| Error prevention | Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action. |
| Recognition rather than recall | Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate. |
| Flexibility and efficiency of use | Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. |
| Aesthetic and minimalist design | Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. |
| Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors | Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution. |
| Help and documentation | Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large. |
So, what's in it for me as a learning professional?
In my view, the challenges of enabling learners to acquire new skills, knowledge and expertise is difficult enough, and anything that smoothes the path of this process should be implemented. The provision of a clear (maybe even formulaic) set of principles, rules, and guidelines at the design phase of an e-learning project, which should allow learners get comfortable with the learning environment should be a central tenet of every learning professional's design philosophy.
Oh. And as one of the rules for writing for the Web is
Be Succinct: write no more than 50% of the text you would have used in a hardcopy publication.
...and you, dear reader, have other things to do with your precious time.
I'm going to conclude today's post on this note, and return to authorSTREAM and SlideShare tomorrow.
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References:
Microsoft Inc. (2008). Heuristic Evaluation Process. [Internet] Available from: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb189150.aspx Accessed 20 June 2008.
Neilsen, J. (2005). Ten Usability Heuristics. [Internet] Available from: http://www.useit.com//papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html Accessed 20 June 2008.
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