Heuristic Evaluations(a.k.a ....Expert reviews)

Expert reviews or Heuristic Evaluations as they are called are the quick and easy means to evaluate a User Interface. All you need is a problematic interface and of course an expert reviewer to identify the problems.

So what are the famous jakob nielson heuristics. They are listed here in his website. http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

Briefly the broad areas that are covered in the evaluation are: - System Status - Match between System and Real world - User Control and Freedom - Consistency and Standards - Error Prevention and recovery - Recognition rather than Recall - Flexibility and efficiency of use - Aesthetic and minimalist design - Help and documentation