Heuristic Evaluation - Gerhardt-Powals’ Cognitive Engineering Principles

Gerhardt-Powals’ Cognitive Engineering Principles

Although Nielsen is considered the expert and field leader in heuristics, Jill Gerhardt-Powals also developed a set of cognitive principles for enhancing computer performance. These heuristics, or principles, are similar to Nielsen’s heuristics but take a more holistic approach to evaluation. Gerhardt Powals’ principles are listed below.

• Automate unwanted workload:
  • free cognitive resources for high-level tasks.
  • eliminate mental calculations, estimations, comparisons, and unnecessary thinking.

• Reduce uncertainty:
  • display data in a manner that is clear and obvious.

• Fuse data:
  • reduce cognitive load by bringing together lower level data into a higher-level summation.

• Present new information with meaningful aids to interpretation:
  • use a familiar framework, making it easier to absorb.
  • use everyday terms, metaphors, etc.

• Use names that are conceptually related to function:
  • Context-dependent.
  • Attempt to improve recall and recognition.
  • Group data in consistently meaningful ways to decrease search time.

• Limit data-driven tasks:
  • Reduce the time spent assimilating raw data.
  • Make appropriate use of color and graphics.

• Include in the displays only that information needed by the user at a given time.
• Provide multiple coding of data when appropriate.
• Practice judicious redundancy.