Nielsen heuristics - what are they? 10 good practices
E-commerce
1 August 2025
Running an e-commerce business requires continuous optimisation of the solutions implemented. One way to perform effective web analytics that can result in increased conversion rates is to use Nielsen heuristics. What is this and what does it look like in practice?
Nielsen heuristics - what exactly are they?
Running your own website or online shop requires constant monitoring and analysis of the solutions you use. An interface that is pleasing to the eye, a clear and comprehensible purchasing process, the quick highlighting of errors in the form, the suggestion of an answer or efficient website navigation - these are just a few issues that have a considerable impact on user comfort.
In e-commerce, the absence of problems in navigating a website and its ease of use are associated with a greater likelihood of internet users making purchases, thus optimising conversions and increasing profits. For this reason, UX Design specialists (who are responsible for the user's experience when interacting with a site or application) use tools and sets of rules in their work to facilitate the care of the site in terms of usability.
One example is Nielsen's heuristics, or the 10 rules developed by Jakob Nielsen and Ralf Molich, which relate to human-machine interaction. Nowadays, heuristic analysis is often combined with UX or SEO issues. As already mentioned, it is a tool in the hands of UX Designers, but there is nothing to prevent the owner of an online shop from using the Nielsen index himself to assess the usability of his website.
Nielsen Heuristics principles to help you with conversion optimisation
In e-commerce, conversion is an extremely important factor. In this case, its level indicates how many customers, after accessing the website, fulfilled a predetermined goal, i.e. completing a purchase. It is therefore the quotient of the number of transactions and the number of visitors expressed as a percentage.
It is clear that online shop owners are concerned about its effective optimisation. This is why specialists in web analytics and user experience design use heuristic evaluation in their work. It allows them to find potentially questionable areas of a website's performance, which will then be worth focusing on in terms of testing. What exactly are its principles about?
Showing system status - why is it so important?
The first principle of the Nielsen heuristics should be taken literally. It refers to constantly informing the user of a website as to where they are or which stage of the ordering process they are currently going through.
When an e-commerce customer gets lost while using the site, it is very likely that they will simply abandon their shopping cart, and this will translate into a drop in conversions.
To prevent this, use is made of, among other things, bars detailing the steps of the purchasing process (highlighting the one currently in use) and so-called breadcrumbs that navigate the customer through the site.
There must be consistency between the system and reality
The system-reality compatibility heuristic briefly refers to the accessibility of the language used on the website. It is therefore unhelpful to use specialised vocabulary that may not be understood by the average website user/shopper.
Instead, it is advisable to use clear, simple phrases and to present any more difficult issues (e.g. technical or technological in an electronics shop) in a way that is easy for the customer to understand.
It is also a good solution to use well-known icons that users associate with everyday life. An example of this is the InPost application, which uses an intuitive icon with a plus symbol to add parcels or a magnifying glass symbol responsible for a tab that takes into account the tracked parcels.
Why give the user full control?
It is very important to create a website in such a way that the user has full control over the operations performed within it. This aspect is also of interest to UX specialists. Nielsen's heuristic is to give every user the ability to move around the site easily and intuitively.
This boils down to, among other things, the efficient and seamless addition and removal of products from the shopping basket or the ability to quickly return to a given stage of the purchasing process. All this so as not to prolong or hinder the customer's transaction. 
Sticking to standards and maintaining consistency
There is a reason why the interface of online shops has a similar look and structure. Examples include placing the shopping cart in the top right corner, the menu bar at the top of the site or the terms and conditions link at the very bottom of the page.
This layout is already familiar to users, so they will easily navigate the site. Implementing unnecessary and unwarranted changes in this aspect would add unnecessary chaos and confusion for potential customers.
Why is error prevention so important?
It is in the interest of the developers and owners of the site to prevent the user from making mistakes. The ways to prevent them are:
- creating a clear and understandable interface;
- prompts in the search engine and for fields in the form (e.g. requirements relating to the number and nature of characters in a password);
- up-to-date information on product availability.
Let you choose instead of forcing you to remember
Nowadays, every user is inundated with an enormous amount of information and stimuli. No wonder, then, that they are often unable to remember even short messages or instructions.
For this reason, UX heuristics talk about using solutions that allow users to choose, rather than relying on their ability to remember. An example of this is displaying recently browsed products in an online shop, so that the customer does not have to search for them again on his or her own, and perhaps decides to add them to the basket.
Ensuring flexibility and efficiency - why is this key to success?
It is very important to realise that different users use the website. These range from basic web surfers to more advanced internet users. Moreover, individual customers may have their own preferences in relation to the way they search for products or the size of the font.
It is therefore worth ensuring that the site is flexible so that it is functional for different audiences. Efficiency, on the other hand, can refer directly to the loading of the page, as well as to the streamlining of individual processes. These aspects undoubtedly translate into e-commerce conversion rates.
Attention to aesthetics and moderation - how does it affect the user?
Appropriate website design is not without significance. The website should be aesthetically pleasing and pleasant to look at, but that is not all. It is also very important that the design indicates the hierarchy of the individual elements. In this aspect, chaos, glamour and excess should definitely be avoided.
Ensuring effective error handling - when can it not be overlooked?
Mistakes should be prevented, but it is never 100% certain that they have been completely eradicated. Therefore, every website should be adequately prepared for such a situation. This boils down to a clear explanation of the nature of its error, as well as a precise indication of the steps to be taken in such a situation. It is then important to use accessible, understandable language.
Caring for support and documentation - what do you need to know about it?
Nielsen's final heuristic is about the possible assistance a user may need when using a site. Even if a website is as intuitive as possible, there may be times when certain issues are unclear to a person. An example of a quick solution to such a problem is the use of an FAQ section.
Implementing the principles of Nielsen's heuristics can prove to be an effective way to tailor a website to the requirements and expectations of its users. This, in turn, translates into an increase in conversions and therefore the achievement of the financial goals of the e-commerce business in question.
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