Usability Heuristics: The Rules Good Interfaces Keep

Devon clicked the smiling photo of his sister to move it. The button he hit deleted it instead. No warning. No undo. One click — gone forever.

That page broke promises older than the web. Jakob Nielsen wrote them down as ten usability heuristics — ten habits good design keeps. Devon's page broke four before breakfast:

Show what's happening — a quiet "saving" or "saved." Speak my language — "print my photos," not system codes. Give me an exit, and an undo — people click wrong. Let them take it back. Best of all: stop the mistake. "Delete forever?" before the click, not sorry after.

You don't need all ten tattooed on your arm. Start with Devon's four — and give people their photos back.

💡 The scenario I shared is a fictionalized composite informed by patterns I've seen firsthand. The people are fictional; the accessibility barriers are real.

#Accessibility #UXDesign #Usability #Heuristics #WebAccessibility