UX Checklist: New User, Interaction & UsabilityShortcut: http://bit.ly/500s-uxchecklistNew User Experience (NUX)

1. User acquisition to landing page: Where does user come from? Does the page convey what the product does in an engaging manner? (acquisition channel, URL, heading, tagline, content, infographics). Is there a clear call to action?

2. Signup Form(s): Does it follow standard form heuristics? (field labelling, optionality, appropriate defaults, respect for privacy)

3. Activation Steps: Do they have clear calls to action? Are there any hurdles? - e.g. complex user decisions, distractions, lack of clear continuity or feedback

4. Post-signup page: Is there a clear call to action of what to do next? (beware the “White screen of death”). Are key concepts explained?

5. Retention: does the product engage / offer value-adds / reminders to come back again? Are emails designed well in a non-spammy manner?

6. Domain: Are there any domain-specific issues? e.g. trust for payment/billing Interaction (how pages fit together)

1. The golden rule of interaction: is there a clear call to action? When looking over page sequences: is the sequence intuitive? Does the order make sense?

2. Clear feedback: does product confirm what just happened?3. Error and weird situations: is it easy to recover? Are actions reversible?4. Navigation: is there effective navigation provision via search and/or browsing?5. User input: is it saved? Is it clear when it can be changed later? (e.g. initial settings) Is it

clear what is being shared? (if anything) Usability - individual pages

1. Messaging and concepts: is it clear and concise? Avoid complex terminology.2. KISS (keep it simple, stupid): 3. Discoverability - are calls to action easy to find? mouseovers etc,4. Consistency: in terminology and UI components5. Latency: is the UI responsive enough? Are delays explained through sufficient

feedback? 6. Standard support features: are the default features which users expect present - e.g.

contact us, help/documentation, footer, privacy statement? Visual Design

1. Clear visual hierarchy - avoid unnecessary complexity in presentation. Does layout follow a grid?

2. Are images effective? - Are infographics effective? Do images add value? Other important UX checks:

1. Accessibility - does product follow accessibility guidelines? (e.g. use of headers, intuitive tab order, alt tags for images, colour choices)

2. BUGS - If the UX review reveals bugs, make sure they are tracked appropriately.3. i18n - is product appropriately internationalized/localized? Do phone numbers have

country codes?4. Web credibility - does the website design, content and provider convey trustworthiness

and expertise

How to Grade IssuesLevel Description Examples

High WTF? An issue which may cause significant problems in achieving a core goal of the MVP for a substantial number of target users. May make the product look very unprofessional.

Major hurdle to sign-up conversion, e.g. over complex signup form, landing page does not explain product use case Lack of a call to action. Bugs

Medium

Huh? An issue which makes it harder for some users to achieve their goals, a “pain in the ass”. Less noticeable than the high category, e.g. on a lower trafficked page.

Waffly text. Prominent typo. An unclear call to action which they need to hunt for. An unecessarily over-complex UI where something simple would suffice.

Low

Pfff. An issue which does not not interfere with user goals. A nice to have. User can still achieve their goals. Fixing issue would be an enhancement.

Minor visual design issue (such as poor consistency in sub-menus). Less prominent typo

References● Smashing magazine - list of lists

● UX heuristics - Jakob Nielsen | First principles - Ask TOG

● Form design - Luke Wroblewski uxreview@500startups.com