A way to evaluate things based on ten rules for good design
The heuristic review template helps outline the process for design review by laying out areas for discussion according to the 10 rules of thumb. Use this template to assess the current status of a design or to analyze a future-state concept.
With this template, you can immediately start your review process across 10 rules of thumb thanks to pre-built sections. This organization also makes it easy to create actionable next steps by identifying themes for each section.
The heuristic review template helps you:
Quickly identify problems in an experience using principles of good design
Gather feedback in real-time or asynchronously in a shared digital space
Organize and analyze your feedback quickly by identifying themes and using tools like color coding and tags
Create actionable next steps and assign tasks and responsibilities across your team
How to use the heuristic review template
To best use the heuristic review template, follow the below steps.
Step 1: Define the overall topic or design you want to analyze
The first step is to clearly outline the focus of your review. This will be the central idea, design, or problem that you analyze in 10 different ways.
Step 2: Gather a group of stakeholders with knowledge of the design, but who are not directly involved in the work
Bring together a team of individuals who have a strong knowledge of various aspects of the design or idea, but who aren’t directly involved in creating the design — this ensures that they will not enter the discussion with existing biases toward a particular solution or with blindspots around problems.
Step 3: Have your stakeholders review the design through the lens of each of the 10 heuristics
Once you’ve clearly identified what it is you’re focusing on, as well as the team that will be conducting the exercise, it’s time to run through each of the 10 rules of thumb, looking for areas that need improvement.
The 10 principles are:
Match a mental model
Anticipate needs
Minimize complexity
Use clear language
Stay consistent
Give Feedback
Provide a sense of place
Prevent errors
Account for constraints
Offer appropriate aesthetics
Have each person identify issues using sticky notes, making sure to only include one idea per sticky note to avoid confusion.
Tips for running a heuristic template exercise
To run a successful heuristic template workshop, you should:
Make sure you invite a group of stakeholders with knowledge of the design but who aren’t directly involved in the work
Use features like private mode to avoid groupthink in real-time collaboration sessions
Collate your feedback into groups based on themes and use anonymous voting to get alignment on next steps
Mural makes complex analyses like heuristic reviews intuitive and impactful
Sticky notes & text
Add ideas, action items, and more as a sticky note or text box — then change the colors and cluster to identify patterns and new solutions.
Presentation mode
Build presentations collaboratively, then deliver engaging sessions that go beyond one-way talk tracks.
Summon collaborators
Easily direct everyone’s attention to a specific part of the mural — no screen sharing required.
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Outline navigation & instructions
Structure your mural for easy navigation, then add activity instructions for collaborators.
Mapping and diagramming
Build quick and easy visualizations of flows, maps, processes, hierarchies, journeys, and more.
Create & publish custom templates
Save time and scale methods across your organization by publishing templates to your workspace.
What is a heuristic review?
How do you write a heuristic review?
Mural is the only platform that offers both a shared workspace and training on the LUMA System™, a practical way to collaborate that anyone can learn and apply.
