Complete Heuristic Evaluation Using Nielsen's Adapted Framework
Usability audit based on Nielsen's 10 heuristics, adapted for mobile-first contexts.
Conduct a systematic heuristic evaluation to identify usability problems without recruiting users, generating a prioritized report for the product team.
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Prompt objective
Conduct a systematic heuristic evaluation to identify usability problems without recruiting users, generating a prioritized report for the product team.
Real use case
UrbanGo, a transit app from Curitiba, needs a usability audit of the ride-request flow before a redesign. The UX team has 1 week and no budget for user research, so they opted for heuristic evaluation with 3 expert evaluators.
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Prompt
Conduct a complete heuristic evaluation of [PRODUCT NAME/FUNCTIONALITY], analyzing the [FLOW DESCRIPTION] flow based on Nielsen's 10 adapted heuristics.\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\nPlatform: [WEB/iOS APP/Android APP]. Evaluators: [NUMBER].\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n**For each heuristic, analyze:**\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n1) **Visibility of system status**\\\\\\\\n- Visual feedback for user actions\\\\\\\\n- Loading states and progress indicators\\\\\\\\n- Confirmation of completed actions\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n2) **Match between system and real world**\\\\\\\\n- Language appropriate to the target audience\\\\\\\\n- Familiar metaphors and clear iconography\\\\\\\\n- Logical flow matching user expectations\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n3) **User control and freedom**\\\\\\\\n- Undo/return options\\\\\\\\n- Clear exit points from flows\\\\\\\\n- Ability to edit previously entered information\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n4) **Consistency and standards**\\\\\\\\n- Internal consistency (across screens)\\\\\\\\n- External consistency (iOS/Android platform conventions)\\\\\\\\n- Uniform terminology\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n5) **Error prevention**\\\\\\\\n- Inline form validation\\\\\\\\n- Confirmation before destructive actions\\\\\\\\n- Intelligent defaults\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n6) **Recognition rather than recall**\\\\\\\\n- Visible information vs. need to remember\\\\\\\\n- History and suggestions\\\\\\\\n- Contextual onboarding\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n7) **Flexibility and efficiency of use**\\\\\\\\n- Shortcuts for experienced users\\\\\\\\n- Interface customization\\\\\\\\n- Gestures and shortcuts\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n8) **Aesthetic and minimalist design**\\\\\\\\n- Information density per screen\\\\\\\\n- Clear visual hierarchy\\\\\\\\n- Unnecessary elements\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n9) **Help users recognize and recover from errors**\\\\\\\\n- Clear, user-friendly error messages\\\\\\\\n- Correction instructions\\\\\\\\n- Empathetic tone (do not blame the user)\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n10) **Help and documentation**\\\\\\\\n- Accessible FAQ/Help center\\\\\\\\n- Tooltips and onboarding\\\\\\\\n- Visible support channels\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n**For each problem found:**\\\\\\\\n- Heuristic violated\\\\\\\\n- Screen/component affected\\\\\\\\n- Screenshot or description of the problem\\\\\\\\n- Severity rating (0-4 Nielsen scale)\\\\\\\\n- Correction recommendation\\\\\\\\n- Estimated effort (S/M/L)\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\n**Final report:**\\\\\\\\n- Executive summary with overall score\\\\\\\\n- Top 10 priority problems\\\\\\\\n- Severity x effort matrix\\\\\\\\n- Industry sector benchmark comparison: [INDUSTRY SECTOR]
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