How to conduct a Heuristic Analaysis

Once the scope is established, follow these steps:

Select relevant heuristics

Choose a set of established usability heuristics to guide the evaluation. Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design is the most widely used framework, but other sets of heuristics may be more appropriate depending on the product or industry. 

Check out the RGD's Heuristic Analysis Template as a starting point. This template is based on Nielsen’s 10 heuristics. 

Assemble a team of evaluators (or go at it alone)

Ideally, multiple UX practitioners should independently evaluate the interface to provide diverse perspectives and reduce individual bias. However, if you’re a team of one, that’s okay. A solo heuristic analysis can still uncover valuable insights. Just be aware of your own assumptions, and consider inviting feedback from others when possible to strengthen your findings.

Conduct independent walkthroughs

Each evaluator should go through the interface on their own, performing common tasks and assessing how well the experience holds up against each of the 10 heuristics. 

Identify and document issues

As you uncover usability issues, use the provided spreadsheet to log and organize your findings. Each heuristic has its own tab, making it easy to track observations in context. For every issue, include the page URL (for websites) or screen descriptor (for apps), note the specific element or location where the issue appears and write a brief description of the problem. Assign a severity rating on a scale from 1 to 10, and suggest a recommended fix or improvement. This structure helps keep feedback consistent, actionable and easy to share with stakeholders or collaborators.

Prioritize and compile findings

If multiple evaluators conducted audits, begin by bringing everyone together to review and consolidate findings. Compare notes, discuss overlapping observations and resolve any differences in severity ratings or interpretations. Once aligned, prioritize the issues based on their severity and potential impact on the user experience.

At this point, you may choose to compile your findings into a presentation deck that can be shared with other stakeholders. This can be a useful way to communicate key usability concerns, highlight high-impact issues and gain buy-in for implementing changes or conducting further research.

Beyond Heuristic Analysis: Building a comprehensive UX audit

While a heuristic analysis is a great starting point for identifying usability issues, a comprehensive UX audit integrates data from real user behaviour to provide deeper insights. Combining heuristic findings with quantitative and qualitative data helps validate assumptions, prioritize issues and drive more impactful improvements.

Here are some ways you can further enhance your UX audit:

Heatmaps and session recordings (Hotjar, Crazy Egg, etc.)

Heatmaps show where users click, scroll and hover, while session recordings capture real-time user behaviour. These insights validate whether heuristic-identified friction points affect actual user journeys. 

Web analytics (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, etc.)

Analytics provide quantitative data on bounce rates, exit points and conversion funnels. This data highlights where users drop off and helps assess the severity of usability issues.

Usability testing and user interviews

Usability testing and interviews reveal how real users experience the product, providing qualitative insights that uncover pain points and contextualize heuristic findings.

A/B Testing and multivariate testing

A/B and multivariate tests validate hypotheses generated during heuristic evaluations by comparing design variations and measuring their impact on user behaviour.

Accessibility audits

Accessibility audits identify barriers for users with disabilities, ensuring compliance with WCAG guidelines and broadening inclusivity beyond standard heuristic assessments.

Page speed testing (GTmetrix, PageSpeed insights, etc.)

Page speed testing uncovers performance issues that slow down the user experience and increase bounce rates, helping teams implement technical optimizations.

Information Architecture (IA) audits

IA audits assess the structure and organization of content to ensure users can easily navigate and find information, addressing discoverability and content hierarchy issues.

Integrating these data sources creates a holistic view of the user experience, allowing UX teams to:

• Validate and prioritize issues based on real-world behaviour.
• Measure business impact of UX improvements.
• Make data-driven decisions to enhance usability, engagement and conversions.

Wrapping up: Start small, think big

A full UX audit, when done right, can paint a rich picture of how users interact with your product. 

By combining heuristic analysis with tools like heatmaps, analytics and user testing you get the kind of insight that helps teams prioritize what matters, make confident design decisions and ultimately create better experiences.

But let’s be real, not every project has the time, budget or team for a full-scale UX deep dive. That’s where heuristic analysis becomes your trusty Swiss Army knife: lightweight, accessible and surprisingly effective. Even without mountains of data or a big research team, it can help surface meaningful issues and guide smarter decisions in the pursuit of better user experiences.

So whether you’re working solo or with a team, on a scrappy timeline or a long-term roadmap, heuristic analysis offers a smart, practical way to get started. It’s an effective first move that brings structure to your instincts and momentum to your UX efforts.