What is interaction design?
Interaction Design is different to graphic design. The concepts underlying interaction design are more akin to cognitive ergonomics. Interaction design involves applying an understanding of how users think and behave online.
As user online behaviour tends to be relatively consistent from site to site, design heuristics (or guidelines) have been developed which are a useful tool for interaction designers.
Peak Usability uses a custom set of 20 design guidelines or heuristics when designing user interfaces and developing new websites for your organisation.
Our Services
Peak Usability applies its heuristics to the design of user interfaces when developing new websites or applications for your organisation. We can help make your website or application easy and enjoyable to use and help users avoid making errors.
We use a number of design tools such as wireframes, paper prototypes, interactive html prototypes and interaction design / application flows in combination with our usability testing to deliver site and application designs that your customers can use and reinforce the quality of your brand.
What are design heuristics?
There are a number of widely accepted guidelines for interface designers that summarise good practice and provide guidance on the design of usable interfaces.
Design guidelines are also commonly known as "Heuristics" and are effectively "rules of thumb". The most widely used top 10 heuristics were developed by Jakob Nielsen and are suitable for applications or websites (marked with an asterisk * in the list below).
How do we apply them?
In addition, to these 10 commonly used heuristics, Peak Usability has developed another 10 heuristics which relate specifically to websites. We apply these heuristics to the design of user interfaces when developing new websites or applications for your organisation. We can help make your website or application easy and enjoyable to use and help users avoid making errors.
We also make interface design recommendations to address usability problems in existing websites or applications. These are often included as part of a heuristic evaluation of your website or application. The following is our list of 20 design guidelines or heuristics.
- Visibility of system status*
- Match between system and the real world*
- User control and freedom*
- Consistency and standards*
- Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors*
- Error prevention*
- Recognition rather than recall*
- Flexibility and efficiency of use*
- Aesthetic and minimalist design*
- Help* and user support
- Navigation & Information structure
- Content
- Functionality
- Site magnetism and engagement
- User Confidence - Privacy, Security, Credibility and Branding
- Site performance
- Search
- Accessibility
- Community and collaboration
- Home page design
Strictly speaking, some of these are not heuristics, such as 'Site performance' and 'Accessibility', however, these have the potential to significantly impact the user experience for all or some user groups which is why they are included.