Expert Reviews

Checking Human Factors Standard and Principle Compliance

Also know as heuristic reviews, expert reviews are conducted in order to check that a user interface, prototype, or design idea aligns with basic human factors standards and principles. These reviews aim to identify usability concerns about a new product and they rely on years of human factors research.

Generally accepted human factors standards are used to generate a list of "heuristics" or rules-of-thumb that should be followed in order to ensure that a user interface has been designed correctly. Every expert review is tailored to the specific client's and product's unique needs and users. Once the the review and analysis is complete, a detailed report of the user interface design is provided, along with suggestions for improvements.

Note: Some companies have started to offer software tools for conducting heuristic evaluations. However, these tools do not understand all of the research around how, when, and why principles should be applied, nor are they tailored to the specific needs of the, products, and users. Accordingly, these tools do not understand the multitude of trade-offs and decisions that can impact the user interface design. Although they may be useful for augmenting the design process, these tools are not recommended as substitutes for evaluations performed by a team of human factors experts.

Checking Accessibility Compliance, and Beyond

Atlantic Human Factors strives to take website accessibility beyond mere compliance. We have conducted case studies on website accessibility in order to determine what users with visual impairments need in order to perform well on websites, beyond just providing the ability to “get the job done.” Therefore, in addition to testing for web accessibility compliance, accessibility evaluations include compliance testing and guidelines for best practices.