What is heuristic analysis?

Heuristic analysis is a method of evaluating a website, application, product, or process using established rules, principles, or practical guidelines to identify potential problems and improvement opportunities. Instead of relying only on user testing or quantitative data, an expert examines the experience against known usability or performance principles.

In eCommerce and B2B eCommerce, heuristic analysis can be used to identify issues that may affect usability, conversion rates, or customer experience. Common areas include:

• Navigation: Whether customers can easily find products and categories.
• Search: Whether search results are relevant and easy to use.
• Product pages: Whether specifications, pricing, availability, and CTAs are clear.
• Checkout: Whether unnecessary steps or confusing fields create friction.
• Mobile experience: Whether the store works effectively on smaller screens.
• Trust: Whether security information, policies, reviews, and business details are clearly presented.
• Accessibility: Whether different users can effectively interact with the store.

For example, a B2B store may undergo heuristic analysis and reveal that its Request Quote button is difficult to find, product specifications are poorly organized, and the bulk-order process requires too many steps. These findings can then guide UX and CRO improvements.

Heuristic analysis provides expert-based insights, but it does not replace actual user testing or analytics data.