Selection and Modeling of a Formal Heuristic Evaluation Process Through Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Due to the importance of usability, multiple usability evaluation methods have been proposed that help Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) specialists determine whether the interfaces of a software product are usable, easy to use, understandable, and attractive. Among these methods, the heuristic evaluation proposed by Jakob Nielsen is the one that stands out. Although Nielsen offers general guidelines for the execution of heuristic evaluations, very few authors of different studies present a formal agreement or process on how the evaluations should be carried out, which leads us to the problem of the absence of a comparative analysis that allows determining the most appropriate formal evaluation process to carry out heuristic inspections. To complement, some proposals found in the literature compare the results of the execution of heuristic evaluations, the definition of new heuristics, qualification forms, and the formalization of the complete process in 5 phases. Although these proposals contribute to the formalization of the heuristic evaluation process, the literature review has not provided a comparative analysis that allows determining which is the most appropriate, which could cause usability evaluators to interpret and carry out their own procedure, which would lead to inaccuracies in the results and increase the probability of improperly executing the inspection. The purpose of this study was to elaborate a comparative table of the formal processes; this allowed the grouping of the various studies found in the literature, to select a process, and thus, and to model by a BPMN tool the whole process. Finally, this process modeled was validated by expert judgement of HCI specialists.