Expert Reviews

An expert review is an affordable and rapid method to quickly spot user problems and develop actionable recommendations for improvement.

Reviewers involved in the process typically include usability researchers, ux designers, content strategists and brand experts. An expert review provides a multi-dimensional audit of your website or application – especially helpful when you are planning a new release and want to quickly isolate major issues. There are normally two key elements:

Heuristic Evaluation

The heuristic evaluation revolves around a set of criteria (such as ease of navigation, readability, etc.) that will be used when evaluating the site or application. The findings of each review team member are integrated into a report, which then identifies and prioritizes areas for improvement. A heuristic evaluation can include all of an application or site, or just part of it.

Cognitive Walkthrough

A cognitive walkthrough analyzes the steps required of customers to perform tasks within a site or application. User roles are identified, and scenarios and tasks guide the analysis as reviewers role-play the part of customers “walking through” the actual or prototyped user interface. As with the heuristic evaluation, findings are captured in a report with actionable, prioritized recommendations for improvement.

Though not as comprehensive as a full usability study, an expert review is an excellent tool for improving customer success by quickly uncovering usability issues and learning how to address them.