Heuristic evaluation using Jakob Nielsen's heuristics and severity rating

1. Heuristic Evaluation of Grand Canyon Tour and Travel
PREPARED BY: CATHERINE MCCLURE
User Interface Heuristics: Jakob Nielsen
Severity/Rating Scale: Society for Technical Communication's Usability Group
1 = Cosmetic; issue does not affect usability but should be fixed.
2 = Minor-Low priority; users easily find workaround but issue should be fixed.
3 = Medium-Medium priority; users find problem and can easily adapt, but issue needs to be fixed.
4 = Major; Users find workarounds with some difficulty, issue should be fixed before site launches or documentation provided for workaround.
5 = Catastrophic; users cannot find workaround and issue must be fixed immediately.
(User Personas to keep in mind: Steve the Sorter and Charles the Comparer)

2. Id Heuristic
Rating:
1 to 5
Comments Suggestions
Homepage Aesthetic and minimalist design 3 Homepage does not look
aesthetically pleasing; cluttered with
images
Replace with a clean layout
5 By just looking at the homepage, the
first time user will not understand
where to start
Replace with a layout that has a focal
point
5 Homepage is not professionally
designed and will create a negative
first impression
Design the page with a professional look
to create a positive first impression
Consistency and standards 3 The icons on the page are not
intuitive; icons could be confusing to
users
Either change the icons or use words
instead
5 It is not clear that there is a real
organization behind the site other
than a phone number
Add corporate information like an “About
Us” section
Include business address and other
pertinent information that is visible to
users
Navigation Match between system and the
real world
5 Navigation choices are not ordered
in the most logical or task-oriented
manner
Rebuild navigation to be logical to first
time users
4 The navigation system is deep
(many menu levels)
Make the site structure simple, with a
clear conceptual model and no
unnecessary levels
4 Too many navigation choices Revamp navigation tabs to be located
at the top of the page, and look like
clickable versions of real-world tabs
User control and freedom 4 Users do not have a way out, no
visual cues like breadcrumbs
Provide good navigational feedback
(e.g. showing where you are in the site)
Page 1

3. Tour Information Flexibility and efficiency of use 4 Items cannot be compared easily
when this is necessary for the task
(e.g. product comparisons)
Add a sidebar where users can sort and
filter catalogue pages (e.g. by listing in
price order, or showing 'most popular')
Process Tour
Reservation
Consistency and standards 4 Activities allocated to the user or the
computer do not take full advantage
of the strengths of each (look for
actions that can be done
automatically by the site, e.g.
postcode lookup)
Add a pop-up calendar, drop-down for
number of travelers,
Checkout Page/
Reservation Desk
Consistency and standards 4 Fields in data entry screens do not
contain default values or placeholder
text when appropriate and show the
structure of the data and the field
length
Provide drop-down for month and year
fields for expiration dates
Separate and provide drop-down for city
and state fields
Zipcode should have its own field
Provide drop-down for country field if
default value is USA
Help users recognize, diagnose
and recover from errors
4 Feedback is not provided until after
the form has been submitted with
general errors at the top of the page
When there are multiple steps in a task,
display all the steps that need to be
completed and provide feedback on the
user’s current position in the workflow
via a visual indication that the field has
been filled out correctly
Id Heuristic
Rating:
1 to 5
Comments Suggestions
Page 2

4. Checkout Page/
Reservation Desk
Help users recognize, diagnose
and recover from errors
4 Feedback is not provided until after
the form has been submitted with
general errors at the top of the page
Instead of only validating a form when it
is submitted to the server, also validate
on the client side. This creates a more
seamless user experience and avoids
data potentially being lost when
submission goes wrong
Place error messages next to the
problem that needs correcting
Visibility of system status 3 Buttons do not show that they have
been clicked
Add functionality to buttons
Writing And
Content Quality
Aesthetic and minimalist design 5 Web pages comprise repurposed
material from print publications such
as brochures
Make text is concise and quick to scan,
with ample headings and sub-headings
and short paragraphs
4 Tour Information and Cancellation
Policy link present on every page
Add as a page instead
Consistency and standards 5 There are no links in content pages Add links appropriately to structure
content
3 Grand Canyon South Rim Bike Tour
has “Click here!” that links to Tour
Information and Cancellation Policy
Make links and link titles descriptive and
predictive
Id Heuristic
Rating:
1 to 5
Comments Suggestions
Page 3

5. Page Layout And
Visual Design
Aesthetic and minimalist design 4 Pages on the site are not formatted
for printing, or there is a printer-
friendly version
Add a print button on tour information
5 The visual design does not
complement the brand and any
offline marketing messages
Replace irrelevant design elements with
travel themed design
5 There is not a good balance
between information density and use
of white space
Design pages to an underlying grid, with
items and widgets aligned both
horizontally and vertically
Have a consistent, clearly recognizable
look and feel that will engage users
Have meaningful labels, effective
background colors and appropriate use
of borders and white space to help
users identify a set of items as a
discrete functional block
Search Recognition rather than recall 5 There is no search box to query for
information
Add a search input
Footer Recognition rather than recall 5 There is not a site map that provides
an overview of the site's content
Add a site map that is linked to from
every page
Id Heuristic
Rating:
1 to 5
Comments Suggestions
Page 4