Usability inspection methods

Abstract

Usability inspection methods, based on informed intuition s about interface design quality, hold promise of providing faster, more cost-effective ways to generate usability evaluations, compared to empirical user evaluation methods . Examples of inspection methods include heuristic evaluation (Nielsen & Molich, 1990), usability walkthroughs (Bias, 1991 ; Karat & Bennett, 1991a, 1991b), cognitive walk -throughs (Lewis, Polson, Wharton & Reiman, 1990), and applications of guidelines in walkthroughs (Jeffries, Miller, Wharton, & Uyeda, 1991). These methods have been used in development for some time in one form or another (perhap s by other names), often because there is simply no alternative like user testing. Usability inspection methods have been an object of research in the last two years or so . Progress has been made in refining methods, and understanding their role i n usability engineering.