Heuristic evaluation template: free worksheet.
A practical heuristic evaluation worksheet with severity ratings, evaluator setup guide, and a copy-ready findings sheet built around Nielsen’s 10 heuristics. Created by Natalia Veretenyk, Lead Instructor at UX Academy.
The six-step process.
Define scope
Agree which flows or screens are in scope before anyone opens the interface. "The sign-up flow and onboarding checklist" is actionable. "The whole app" is not.
Recruit 3-5 evaluators
Research shows 3-5 evaluators find 65-75% of usability problems. Fewer than three miss too many; more than five delivers diminishing returns.
Independent evaluation
Each evaluator inspects the interface independently and logs issues against the relevant heuristic. No discussion between evaluators at this stage.
Consolidate findings
Bring all evaluators together to share findings. Merge duplicates. The template includes a shared findings sheet for this step.
Rate severity
Rate every issue on the 0-4 severity scale (0 = not a problem, 4 = must fix before launch). Base ratings on frequency, impact, and persistence.
Prioritise and present
Sort by severity. Present the top issues to stakeholders with the heuristic violated and a recommended fix.
Rating usability problems.
Not a usability problem
No fix required.
Cosmetic problem only
Fix only if time is available; very low priority.
Minor usability problem
Low priority; fix in a future iteration.
Major usability problem
Important to fix; high priority.
Usability catastrophe
Imperative to fix before product launches.
About heuristic evaluation.
How do you create a heuristic evaluation?
Set the scope and recruit 3-5 evaluators with UX knowledge. Give each evaluator Nielsen's 10 heuristics as a reference, then ask them to inspect the interface independently and log every issue against the relevant heuristic. Consolidate findings in a shared spreadsheet, remove duplicates, and rate severity on a 0-4 scale. Prioritise fixes by severity and present to stakeholders.
What is a severity rating in a heuristic evaluation?
Severity ratings measure how serious a usability problem is. The standard scale (Nielsen, 1994) runs from 0 (not a usability problem) to 4 (usability catastrophe that must be fixed before launch). Ratings are based on three factors: frequency (how often does it occur?), impact (how hard is it for users to recover?), and persistence (does it affect users repeatedly or just once?).
How many evaluators do you need for a heuristic evaluation?
Research shows that 3 to 5 evaluators find between 65% and 75% of usability problems. Fewer than three evaluators miss too many issues; more than five delivers diminishing returns because the same problems keep surfacing. Three experienced evaluators is a practical minimum.
What is the difference between a heuristic evaluation and usability testing?
A heuristic evaluation is an expert inspection: trained evaluators assess the interface against usability principles without involving real users. Usability testing observes real users attempting real tasks. Heuristic evaluation is faster and cheaper; usability testing surfaces problems that experts miss because real users behave unpredictably. Run a heuristic evaluation first to fix obvious issues, then usability test to find deeper ones.
“Transitioning from marketing into UX felt natural once I started the course. It helped me reframe my existing skills and gave me practical experience to confidently move into a design role.”
Learn to run evaluations on real products.
UX Academy’s Intermediate UX Design course covers heuristic evaluation as part of a full usability audit toolkit, with live critique and instructor feedback. Cohort 1 starts 5 September 2026.
See the course →