‘Heuristic’ is a clever-sounding word for something simple and helpful: a shortcut, a rule of thumb, a guideline to help you evaluate and solve problems.

A heuristic framework gives you a quick, agile, low-cost way to assess something. The framework is made up of individual heuristics that each help you look for specific qualities or standards in the thing you’re reviewing. By following the framework, you can find issues and recommend improvements in a structured, consistent way.

Heuristic frameworks are common in the world of digital design and user experience. But I’ve found that none of them are quite right for assessing content.* So I’ve been building up one of my own over the last few years. The intention behind the content heuristic framework is to give you some basic rules of thumb for what great content looks like. It’s a quick, simple method based on best practice – ideal for when you’re short on time or budget. It’s not a replacement for user testing.

Use the content heuristic framework to:

• Evaluate content when you’re short on time or budget and can’t do a full content audit
• Structure the feedback you give or receive on content
• Find ways to improve individual pages
• Find ways to improve whole content types or formats

*I’m talking specifically about content-content here: web pages, advice, and information, landing pages, product copy, editorial, and the like. 

You might also want to read my post about the content heuristic framework, which has more information and context: A heuristic framework for content (AKA principles for impactful content)