The following descriptions relate to the criteria used in the Checklist for Web Site Heuristic Evaluation.

• Leading-edge technologies are not employed for their own sake, but in order to meet an important business, learning, or information need.

• Use of frames is kept to a minimum, and do not interfere or confuse users’ mental models of the site.

• Graphics are kept to a minimum and are used only for providing necessary information.

• Graphics file sizes are minimized by use of such techniques as color depth reduction and file compression methods.

• Animated graphics are not used unless they meet an important business, learning, or information need that cannot be addressed with simpler technology.

• Sound and video are not used unless they meet an important business, learning, or information need that cannot be addressed with simpler technology.

• Accommodation is made for users who turn off graphic information displays in their browser. Absence of graphics does not dilute the value of the information.

• Links and URLs are unambiguous, clear, and specific, and are as brief as possible.

• URLs contain human-readable directory and file names that reflect the nature of the information space.

• URLs are in all lower case and include no special characters, in order to reduce the possibility of typos.

• Users can tell by reading the text of a link where they will go when they click on it.

• The site’s first or home page is not devoid of information or links to information. It is not used just to announce the name of the site.

• The organization of the site is easy for users to understand.

• Multiple navigation methods are employed, including hyperlinks, buttons, and search engines.

• Graphic links are not used unless they meet a business, learning, or information need. If they are used, redundant text links are included.

• Pages of information that occupy several screens include intra-page links to subsections of the page from both top and bottom.

• Page titles indicate the web site to which they belong in order to provide clues for users who arrive there from other sites or leave there to go to other sites.

• Information is organized in such a way that it occupies at least most of a screen.

• If a page requires several screens, there are intra-page links to subsections of the page from both the top and bottom of the page.

• Horizontal scrolling of pages is never required. Vertical scrolling is kept to a minimum.

• No pages exist whose information is out of date. Currency depends upon the nature of the information.

• The top of each page includes information on revision date for that page, or other pertinent information (such as version number or publication date for paper documents) that will help users determine whether the information is current. 4-digit year formats are used for clarity.

• In situations where revision dates of page components are more important than that of the page itself the page revision date may be omitted, providing that each component of the page has a revision date displayed at its beginning.

• De facto standard colors are used for unvisited and visited links.

• Pages are displayed in such a way that those who choose to change default display characteristics to accommodate visual impairments or preferences may do so without loss of information.

• Page download times for the least sophisticated hardware/software configuration (typically, a computer several years old using a dial-up connection) typically do not exceed 10 seconds. In rare cases, an occasional page download time of 15 seconds may be permitted.

• Displays are viewable on screens with 800X600 resolution.

• The site works as intended for all reasonable combinations of hardware and operating system and browser software.

• Each page is printable unless there is a business or learning reason not to do so.

• Printed pages are completely legible and contain all information displayed on the screen, with the possible exception of graphics that do not convey important information.

• If the printed version of a page needs to be significantly different from the displayed version, a "printer-friendly" version of the page is available.

• Screens take advantage of white space to guide the viewer’s eye through the display of information on the page.

• Excessive graphics; a variety of font families, sizes, and styles; or overly bright colors are not used unless there is a compelling business or learning reason to do so.

• Each page is identifiable as belonging to a specific site in order to assist users in their navigation of the site.

• Navigation mechanisms are easy to find and use.

• Backgrounds are white or pale pastel colors, with contrasting text colors and saturations.

• Textured and patterned backgrounds are used only when they do not interfere with the clear, legible, and usable display of information.

• Fonts are restricted to two (or, at most, three) families per page. Sans serif fonts are recommended for headlines, serif for body text. Fonts are legible in both on-screen and printed versions.

• Fonts (style, color, saturation) are easy to read.

• Line length is short enough that readers do not have to turn their heads side-to-side to read complete lines of text, even on very large monitors.