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: ask whether the 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: ask whether the design blocks the error before completion
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 ]
Build a complete external response about your learning interface
Achievement demonstrates understanding by describing purpose and principles/use. Merit examines by explaining application and effect. Excellence evaluates through like-for-like comparison and principle-grounded improvements. A longer explanation alone is not evaluation.
Demonstrate understanding — what is the interface purpose, which element is observable, and which principle does it use?
Examine — how is the principle applied, and how does it affect a named user completing a task?
Evaluate — compare the same action in another interface. Which is more effective, for whom, and what trade-off remains?
Improve — what specific change would apply a principle more effectively, and what user/purpose effect would you predict?