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Software testing tools: Heuristics for recognizing problems.

Usability Heuristics

from Jakob Nielsen

Visibility of system status Visibility of system status: The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
Match between system and the real world Match between system and the real world: The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
User control and freedom User control and freedom: Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
Consistency and standards Consistency and standards: Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
Error prevention Error prevention: Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
Recognition rather than recall Recognition rather than recall: Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
Flexibility and efficiency of use Flexibility and efficiency of use: Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
Aesthetic and minimalist design Aesthetic and minimalist design: Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
Help and documentation Help and documentation: Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.

Consistency Heuristics

from James Bach
and Michael Bolton

H istory History: The present version of the system is consistent with past versions of it.
I mage Image: The system is consistent with an image that the organization wants to project.
C omparable Products Comparable Products: The system is consistent with comparable systems.
C laims Claims: The system is consistent with what important people say it’s supposed to be.
U sers’ Expectations Users' Expectations: The system is consistent with what users want.
P roduct Product: Each element of the system is consistent with comparable elements in the same system.
P urpose Purpose: The system is consistent with its purposes, both explicit and implicit.
S tatutes Statutes: The system is consistent with applicable laws.
F amiliarity Familiarity: The system is not consistent with the pattern of any familiar problem.

FAILURE Heuristics

from Ben Simo

F unctional Functional: The error detecting, reporting, and handling functions properly.
A ppropriate Appropriate: Errors are reported at the appropriate time in an appropriate manner.
I mpact Impact: The impact of the failure is communicated to those impacted.
L og Log: The error is appropriately logged; or not logged.
U ser Interface User Interface: The error is reported in the user interface in terms that the user understands.
R ecovery Recovery: The user is informed of what they need to do to recover from the error.
E motions Emotions: The error handling and reporting has a positive influence on user emotions.

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