In the web development process, it is essential for developers and firms to evaluate the usability of websites. The Heuristic evaluation method is a technique used to assess the design of a given website to establish underlying usability problems (Al-Khalifa 2). One or more people are engaged to assess the site using predetermined heuristic guidelines. The ten practitioner heuristics are frequently used in the practice. These principles got derived from problems found after studying a wide variety of user interfaces (Al-Khalifa 2). The Arts Council of England website will be used for the purpose of this paper (“Arts Council England”). The urge to evaluate different web interfaces led to the exploration and use of Heuristic Evaluation inspection approach.
Art Council Website
The website has a contact information feature on the bottom section (Figure 1). It enables the users to connect with the organization. This information is located at the bottom of the website. It includes the social platforms of the organization, a telephone number, and a link directing users on how to contact the support team (“Arts Council England”). The availability of social media links in the system shows its ability to match with the real world. In addition, the use of social media icons which people are all too familiar with also depicts the match. This feature also shows evidence of consistency by displaying similar objects (Pribeanu 35)
Figure 1: Contact Information (Source: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
Another feature on the website is the menu button (Figure 2). It is located on the top left corner of the website page. It leads the user to information about the company, what the company does, guidance and resources sections. The button sticks to the principle of consistency in that it is an object which is widely used to show a menu in webpages (Pribeanu 35).
Figure 2:Website Menu (Source: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
The close menu button is also another feature on the website (Figure 3). It can be accessed after clicking on the menu button. It is located at the left corner on the page. This feature gives the user control by allowing them to opt-out of the menu.
Figure 3: Close Menu Button (Source: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
The website also has visual features and gallery which are vivid and simple (Figure 4). Gallery is vital in the website as it showcases the role, admiration and hisroty of an organization in an engaging manner. With regards to the aesthetics and minimalist design principle, the visuals are concise and in line with the organization’s purpose (Pribeanu 33).
Figure 5: Visual features and gallery (Source: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
The search option is also included on the website (Figure 6). It is located at the left corner of the website page. The button looks like a small magnifying lens which most people are familiar with for executing search tasks. As a result, the feature satisfies the consistency principle.
Figure 6: Search Option (Source: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
The website also has an error and feedback form (Figure 7). This feature can be accessed after searching on the site. It gives the user the results of their search. It also informs them when an error has been made during the search. This feature is consistent with the principle of providing feedback and enabling the user to recognize, diagnose and recover from mistakes (Pribeanu 33).
Figure 7:Error and Feedback (Souce: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/)
Conclusion
The evaluation of the arts council England website based on heuristics such as consistency, user control, and freedom, user feedback and recognition, clearly shows an adherence to the heuristic evaluation methodology. For this reason, the website is deemed usable.
