UX/UI research might be beneficial to everyone - but timing is essential. Hierographx understands that different businesses are in different stages of website design and development. We want to do our best to assist you through every step of the website design process. If we want to assist you to the best of our ability, that means we have to offer heuristic solutions in times when–due to budget or time constraints–UX/UI research isn’t the most expedient option.

Heuristic website design is–at its core–an expert guided framework that should not be confused with templates or the use of templates. It’s a more practical approach to determine a site design and the overall product usability. It’s based on criteria that screens for flaws and pitfalls. Usability and domain experts in a variety of combinations determine that criteria, based on experience, whereas UX covers the research far more comprehensively. UX considers every aspect of user engagement from an end-to-end perspective. Consequently, heuristic approaches are necessary when the time or budget isn’t available for extensive research. 

Conceptually.org defines ‘heuristic’ as “a mental shortcut that our brains use that allows us to make decisions quickly without having all of the relevant information.” Our experience with various businesses gives us an advantage when it comes to making decisions, even if we don’t have the exact numbers. You may have far more product and service knowledge about your business, but we can use heuristic approaches for your web Presence that you may not be aware of. We are not computers. We can’t give you the optimal, precise and in depth answers immediately, but we can use the deep knowledge gained through previous experiences with other clients to give your business an intuitive approach to launching your website.

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I am not quite ready for UX. Will Heuristic website design work?

In short… yes. Don’t be alarmed if your business isn’t ready to fully invest in UX/UI research. Heuristics are useful during all stages of web design and development. If you’re relying on Hierographx to start your website from scratch, heuristic methods like paper prototyping can be beneficial. This applies not only at the beginning, but also when design changes are made down the road.

Heuristic and UX/UI design might not happen at the exact same time– but they do go hand-in-hand. Never let a web designer tell you one is always better than the other. UX/UI design may be useful for optimization, but for some, a heuristic approach may be more appropriate. For example, the UX/UI approach for selecting a color scheme on a website may track every color that users find attractive, but what if you are designing a website for a sports team or school that already has colors associated with their identity? A heuristic approach can work with these assumptions from the start without having to filter out a user’s favorite color. Instead, we could create prototypes with the chosen color scheme–and let fans of the team decide the best layout for a web page using those specific colors. So think of Heuristic design as working symbiotically with UX, should you decide on it later on. 

Half of success in business is maintaining the flexibility to pick your battles. Together, we can do our best to make it as perfect as humanly possible to create a web presence that resonates most effectively with your target audience. When the time comes, we will be ready to implement UX/UI research to optimize your website– so that your customers have the best, most deeply researched user experience possible. And even then, aspects of Heuristic website design can help inform that experience. Hierographx - a Michigan website design company - has extensive experience in both UX/UI and Heuristic website design. A team like Hierographx knows the perfect timing to implement strategies that can be key to your success.