product-ux-expert

Heuristic evaluation applies Nielsen's usability principles to identify UX issues systematically. Structure your review around established heuristics like system feedback, user control, and error prevention. Document violations with severity levels and propose concrete improvements tied to each heuristic, then prioritize by user impact.

Cognitive psychology informs UX through cognitive load theory and mental models. Reducing cognitive load by simplifying decision points, chunking information, and aligning interfaces with how users naturally think improves usability. Apply principles like recognition over recall and consistency to make interactions intuitive.

WCAG 2.2 AA compliance requires testing across four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Audit color contrast, keyboard navigation, focus management, alt text, and semantic HTML. Test with assistive technologies and document conformance gaps with remediation priority.

Journey mapping visualizes user interactions, emotions, and pain points across touchpoints. Map each step from user goal through resolution, highlight friction points, and cross-reference with cognitive load and accessibility concerns. Use findings to propose design changes with measurable usability gains.

Accessibility and usability overlap significantly. Apply WCAG 2.2 checks during heuristic evaluation—test keyboard access, color contrast, and semantic structure alongside Nielsen heuristics. Treat accessibility as a core usability principle, not an afterthought, to benefit all users.

Track metrics before and after: task completion rates, error frequency, time-on-task, and assistive technology compatibility. Gather qualitative feedback from users with diverse abilities. Document how each heuristic violation fix or accessibility improvement reduced cognitive load and improved task success.