Applying Heuristic Evaluation with Different Evaluator Profiles: A Comparative Study Between Novice and Expert Specialists

Currently, usability is an extremely relevant aspect that must be considered during the construction process of a software product. The importance of this quality attribute for both developers and companies has led professionals to establish methods to determine if interaction interfaces are usable, understandable, and attractive. Heuristic evaluation is one of the methods that stands out for its efficiency and simplicity. However, the authors establish different ways of executing and applying this assessment method. Some authors establish that only specialists in the area of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) should participate, while others mention that it is possible the method might be conducted by specialists from related fields. In this study, we show the differences in the results when the heuristic evaluation is employed by experts, in contrast when the method is used by people with basic knowledge (novices). Likewise, the study shows the effectiveness of a web application to support the inspection process built with a basis on an exhaustive analysis of the literature. The conclusions of this research state that there are no significant differences and that the heuristics can be applied in both scenarios with high reliability.