Design Heuristics — Feedback
On this page 7 headings
33. Show system status
Keep users informed through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time — loading status in browsers; how much time an action will take (e.g. a download).
34. Give next steps and advance warnings
Provide next steps (form signup, email signup) and warnings in advance (e.g. Gmail storage running out → buy storage).
35. Prevent errors with helpful constraints
Why do users make errors? We often blame the user, but aspects of the UI can lead users to make errors.
EXAMPLE In a flight booking form, the return date cannot be before the 19 July departure; earlier dates are greyed out.
36. Prevent errors with suggestions
Offer suggestions — e.g. typing 'usability' in the browser, search auto-suggest gives a list of options.
37. Support recovery after an error
Make the problem clear — on a signup form, clicking Sign Up with empty fields highlights each field in red. Provide a solution — a tooltip says to enter a valid email or mobile number. Provide an alternative — searching the misspelled 'Jacob Neilson', the search engine suggests the correct query.
38. Provide searchable and contextual help
Ensure help is easy to search — most tools have a Help menu with help topics, trainings, updates. Provide help in context — e.g. in the Moodle LMS 'add a new course' form, a help icon next to fields like course visibility explains them exactly where and when needed.
39. Heuristic evaluation by experts
After the initial prototypes are ready, experts evaluate the interface: they do multiple passes through the prototype and produce a list of issues that violate the design heuristics. Collecting feedback from several experts helps fix multiple usability issues. The heuristics are also a self-check for designers.