HeuristicBuilder: An Interactive Multimodal Approach to Teaching Usability Heuristics

Usability is a crucial aspect of software development, yet it is not emphasized enough in computing education. Studies show that poor usability leads to significant financial losses, with businesses in the United States alone incurring 62 billion in annual losses due to subpar user experiences. Despite its importance, usability principles are not sufficiently taught to computing students. This experience report presents HeuristicBuilder, an interactive multimodal educational tool designed to teach Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics. These principles are essential for designing user-friendly interactive systems, but often pose challenges in practical application. HeuristicBuilder addresses this by combining theoretical learning via reading and quizzes with practical UI design exercises. The tool was evaluated with 224 participants, showing significant improvements in both theoretical understanding and practical application of usability principles. Participants found HeuristicBuilder to be valuable and effective, preferring its interactive approach over traditional methods such as reading books or online courses. In conclusion, HeuristicBuilder proves effective at educating users about usability heuristics through engaging, accessible means. Its positive reception highlights its potential to enhance usability education and user experience design practices. Future enhancements aim to further optimize interactive learning and practical application, advancing skills among interaction designers and usability practitioners.