Kaiako note: This worksheet has no answers on it — it's the clean student-facing version, safe to upload directly to Google Classroom. The reasoned answer key lives on the teacher lesson page, not here.
Two pairs of heuristics that are easy to mix up
Help Users Recognise, Diagnose & Recover from Errors
This is about what happens after a mistake.
- Red error messages
- Alerts or warnings
- Clear explanations of what went wrong
- Helpful instructions to fix it
Clue: Red = error has already happened
Example: You forget your email on a form. A red box appears: "Please enter a valid email address."
Error Prevention
This is about stopping errors before they happen.
- Greyed-out buttons
- Input masks (e.g. phone number formats)
- Drop-down menus instead of free typing
- Confirmation checks before deleting
Clue: Greyed out = can't go wrong in the first place
Example: The "Submit" button is greyed out until all required fields are filled in.
Classify these examples — which heuristic does each represent?
| Element | Heuristic |
|---|
| A red box says "Password must include a number" | |
| The "Next" button is greyed out until all steps are done | |
| A pop-up says "Are you sure you want to delete this file?" | |
| You click a broken link and get a 404 error page with help links | |
Flexibility & Efficiency of Use
This is about offering different ways of doing things.
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Filters or sorting tools
- Personalisation options
- Power-user settings
Clue: multiple routes, not just one path
Example: You can drag-and-drop files into an upload box, or click "Browse" to select manually.
User Control & Freedom
This is about getting out of things or changing your mind.
- Cancel buttons
- Undo or Redo
- Red X's to close things
- Breadcrumbs or "Back" navigation
Clue: an escape hatch if you get stuck
Example: You accidentally click "Edit" but back out by clicking "Cancel" or pressing ESC.
Write whether each example is "Flexibility and Efficiency of Use" or "User Control and Freedom" — and be ready to explain why, not just which one.
| Feature | Heuristic |
|---|
| Ctrl+Z to undo | |
| A drop-down with filter by price or rating | |
| "Cancel order" button | |
| Option to revert to default settings | |
Your Learning Interface
Using the learning platform your school uses (Google Classroom), find one real example of each of the four heuristics above. Take a screenshot showing the element in action, and explain what it is and why it belongs to that heuristic.
Help Users Recognise, Diagnose & Recover from Errors
[ screenshot here ]
Error Prevention
[ screenshot here ]
Flexibility & Efficiency of Use
[ screenshot here ]
User Control & Freedom
[ screenshot here ]
From everything you've learned in this topic, what changes would you make to your learning interface to improve it?
This question is built on the AS92006 achievement ladder. Identify the element (Achievement) → explain why it's a usability issue, naming the heuristic (Merit) → evaluate by proposing and justifying a specific improvement (Excellence). Answer all three parts.
Identify — which element, and where?
Explain — which heuristic does it fail, and why exactly?
Evaluate — what specific change would fix it, and why would that be better?