How to conduct a heuristic evaluation for UX/UI designs

A heuristic evaluation is a streamlined method used by UX teams to assess user interfaces against predetermined usability criteria, often employing Jakob Nielsen's ten principles to identify design issues and enhance usability. This approach provides a framework for evaluating UI design, highlighting issues and opportunities for improvement, and can be implemented through a four-step process: team setup, individual evaluation, group discussion, and reporting with recommendations. The method is cost-effective and flexible, making it suitable for smaller teams seeking to uncover usability problems quickly and align stakeholders without extensive resources. Although heuristic evaluation is subjective and does not replace user testing, it serves as an efficient way to identify and address basic usability issues before conducting more comprehensive user testing.