Design & Accessibility
What is Nielsen's Heuristics?
Jakob Nielsen's 10 heuristics are universal usability principles to evaluate and improve interfaces (status visibility, user control, consistency, etc).
The 10 heuristics cover: status visibility, real-world match, user control, consistency, error prevention, recognition (not memory), flexibility, minimalist design, error recovery help, help and documentation.
They don't replace user testing but serve as a quick checklist to review prototypes and catch 70-80% of usability problems before showing anyone.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Do heuristics replace usability testing?
No. They catch obvious problems; real testing reveals issues designers can't see by being too close.
Which heuristic is most violated?
"Status visibility" — interfaces that disappear (loading without feedback) or actions without confirmation create user anxiety.