Page 47 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Design and usability evaluations of a course

Appendix

Appendix 1. Checklist for evaluating the user interface
The checklist was developed for evaluating the user interface and course content. It is based on ten heuristic design principles
developed to identify user problems, for example, on web pages (Nielsen & Molich, 1990). The principles are available at
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/. The purpose was to help the invited experts when they read
the course content online. They were informed that they were not expected to find all problems during the sessions as the
time was limited. If their response to a question was “no,” they were asked to make a note about the issue and refer to the
web page and section.
Guiding questions My notes
1 Does the user get direct visual feedback, for example,
after clicking buttons or submitting assignments?
2 Does the design speak the user’s language (applies to
both text and visuals)?
3 Is there a clearly marked “emergency exit” in case the
user performs actions by mistake, for example, a back
button?
4 Are the same graphics and terminology used when
users are requested to perform a specific action?
5 Does the design prevent user mistakes to avoid the
need for error messages?
6 Are potential actions and options visible to reduce
the user’s memory load?
7 Are there shortcuts for experienced users?
8 Do the content and visual design avoid distracting
graphic elements or excessive information that
distracts users from the information they need?
9 Are clearly expressed error messages used rather than
incomprehensible error codes?
10 Are instructions provided to help users complete
their tasks, for example, submit an assignment?
My notes (continued): __________

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 41 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.378