Whether complements or alternatives to lab studies, user experience reviews can be extremely valuable. Instead of directly involving users, such reviews rely on our collective usability sense, our familiarity with web and software systems usability heuristics, and our knowledge of competitive industry practices.
A heuristic evaluation is an expert review in which user interface professionals evaluate a product or system against usability guidelines or "heuristics," identifying and prioritizing areas for improvement. A heuristic evaluation can include all of an application or site, or just part of it.
A cognitive walkthrough analyzes the steps required of users to perform tasks with a product or system. User roles are identified, and goal-oriented scenarios and tasks guide the analysis as reviewers role-play the part of users "walking through" the actual or prototyped user interface to complete tasks, identifying any usability obstacles they encounter.
