Published: June 6th, 2025

This set of heuristics provides a way for experienced professionals to assess websites against practical usability guidelines. This framework has been developed specifically for assessing content-rich sites. Drawing from our work on text-heavy sites—especially in the legal aid world—it combines established UX best practices with specialized criteria for content-rich websites, drawing from the Stanford Design Lab's Design Review Checklist, Jakob Nielsen's widely-used heuristics principles, and our own experience.

For more context about these heuristics and how to use them, see our summary article Essential Guidelines for Content-Rich Websites.

The Heuristics 

The heuristics at a glance:

1. Guide Users Through Clear Pathways

2. Present Clear and Readable Content

3. Create a Clear Visual Hierarchy

4. Support Multi-Device Access

5. Design for Accessibility and Inclusion

6. Design Intuitive Interactive Elements

7. Organize Content for Clear Understanding

Each section contains:

• A category heading that describes the area of focus

• A brief description of what we're evaluating in this category

• Specific heuristics to check during evaluation

1. Guide Users Through Clear Pathways

Provide clear navigation and next steps for all user scenarios

1. Site purpose is immediately clear on landing pages; it’s easily findable from all interior pages

2. Clear calls to action guide users forward

3. It’s always clear to the user what’s going on

4. Navigation labels clearly convey what you'll see when you follow a link

5. The user is able to find their way to a specific page/section again

6. Users can easily find next steps

7. Crisis/emergency paths are prioritized

8. It’s easy for a user to tell approximately how long a website process is, where they are in the process, how far they have left to go, and what to do next

9. Dead ends are eliminated and the visitor is presented with alternative actions

10. Users can easily start over if needed

11. Functionality works in the same way as similar functionality on other sites

12. Success and error states are clearly communicated; error messages are clear and helpful

2. Present Clear and Accessible Content

Ensure content is understandable, inclusive, and empathetic for users of all backgrounds

1. Instructions are available in plain language

2. Content accommodates different literacy levels, with reading levels appropriate for target audiences

3. Abbreviations are consistently formatted with periods where appropriate

4. Content remains accessible when images are disabled

5. Technical terms and jargon are not used unless needed; if important, they are consistently explained

6. Forms and processes use active voice and clear directives

7. Language choices respect dignity and agency (e.g., "person experiencing homelessness" rather than "homeless person"); person-first language is used appropriately

8. Terminology is consistent with community preferences (e.g., respecting preferences between terms like Hispanic/Latino/Latinx)

9. Language acknowledges user challenges while maintaining dignity

10. Plain language is used in privacy policies and consent forms

3. Create a Clear Visual Hierarchy

Use design elements consistently to guide users and highlight important information

1. Important actions are visually prominent

2. Headers establish clear visual hierarchy

3. Interface elements have consistent styling

4. Visual noise and clutter are minimized

5. Critical content appears above the fold

6. Icons follow standard web conventions

7. Important UI elements stand out from the rest of the page

4. Support Multi-Device Access

Ensure the site works efficiently and effectively across desktop/mobile devices and connection speeds

1. Content is readable on mobile screen sizes without zooming

2. Click zone/tap targets are sufficiently sized for mobile interaction

3. Forms are highly usable on mobile devices

4. Pages load reliably on slow connections

5. All functionality works on mobile devices

6. Users can recover from making mistakes/being in the wrong place

5. Design for Accessibility and Inclusion

Make content and functionality accessible to all users regardless of abilities or language preferences

1. All functionality can be accessed via keyboard navigation

2. Color contrast meets WCAG AA standards

3. Font sizes, alt tags, and header flow all follow accessibility standards

4. Language switching controls are prominent and consistent

5. Links use text that describes the destination page rather than generic "click here" phrases

6. Consider needs of neurodivergent users

7. Content is gender-neutral, and avoids stigmatizing or outdated language

8. Images present a diverse view of the website community

6. Design Intuitive Interactive Elements

Make forms, buttons, and other interactive elements easy to understand and use

1. Field labels are clear and descriptive

2. Form fields clearly indicate required information

3. Field formats are clearly indicated (e.g., date formats)

4. Form validation prevents common mistakes

5. Form fields use inclusive options and language (i.e. allow accent marks in a user’s name)

6. Error messages are compassionate, clear, and helpful

7. Complex forms are broken into logical steps, in a natural order

8. Complex forms minimize repetitive information entry

9. The user can move backwards reasonably seamlessly, and undo

10. It’s clear whether an interaction was successful or not

11. Privacy, confidentiality and how/when a user’s information will be shared and with who is clearly explained

7. Organize Content for Clear Understanding

Present information in a logical, digestible way that prioritizes user needs and comprehension

1. Concepts are explained to the user clearly and with enough detail that they can accurately answer questions

2. Content hierarchy (for instance, what is discussed first) reflects user priorities

3. Headers are designed to allow users to quickly scan the page

4. Related resources are clearly grouped and linked

5. Processes are explained step-by-step

6. Lists are organized in logical, user-centered order