EMPIRICISM VERSUS JUDGEMENT

Abstract

In an attempt to reduce the time and cost of laboratory usability testing, new techniques for evaluating user interfaces are being developed by human factors researchers. In one such technique, heuristic evaluation (Nielsen and Molich, 1990), experts evaluate interfaces using pre-established usability guidelines. The current study attempts to test the heuristic method of evaluation under several conditions and user interface (UI) experts' "best guess" predictions, for comparing to laboratory performance testing results.