Methods & tools: participatory heuristic evaluation

P Participatory heuristic evaluation (PHE) is a participatory inspection technique that is derived from Nielsen's heuristic evaluation (HE) [10]. The PHE technique extends HE in two ways: 3 PHE adds new areas of concern to the list of heuristics used to guide inspectors under HE. 3 PHE adds users (work-domain experts) to the list of expert inspectors under HE. We begin by reviewing Nielsen's HE and then explain our reasons for modifying the technique, based on both participatory concerns and Floyd's analysis of software engineering paradigms [3]. We then present our list of heuristics and our method for applying them. Finally, we briefly compare this technique with other usability and participatory practices. The technique reported in this article is a further development of work originally presented in [7]. Since the original publication, we have extensively revised the materials used and validated the technique on new products. Heuristic Evaluation Nielsen's HE is a well-known technique in " discount " usability evaluations. It falls within the broader class of usability inspection techniques [10]. In general, the goal is to find major usability problems in a design or a system without using the large set of resources typically required for usability testing. Thus, the technique is a discount approach to usability because it uses simple and approximate methods, instead of the more formal and exact methods of testing. Nielsen notes that the technique may produce discount results. That is, a usability inspection does not necessarily produce data of the same precision or reliability as usability testing. Therefore, Nielsen and most other practitioners advocate using HE as a supplement to usability testing. In one typical approach, teams evaluate multiple , quick iterations of a design using HE and then use more formal usability testing after the design has stabilized. One of us has found it useful to describe usability methods in terms of the following attributes: object model (or materials), process model, participation model, results, and position in the product life cycle [6]. We will follow that structure here. Object Model The materials for HE are a design or a system to be inspected and a list of common usability problems that inspectors are asked to look for. The list of common problems is considered an aid to finding problems and is, therefore, considered a set of heuristics for problem identification. Nielsen's list of heuristics has evolved with his technique to a set of …