Dear Ken and Mike,
Thanks for your response. I have experience in usability testing using some of the methods originated in Jakob Nielsen publications. I definitively agree that usability evaluation methods are better than guess-work. Nielsen's recommendations are excellent for design practice and I try to use them. There are some aspects in design problems in which usability does not help, but that is another topic.
Ken, you said, "Jakob Nielsen is not simply proposing rules of thumb. He offers evidence-based heuristics." My understanding is that Nielsen offers methods rather than rules or principles for design. I know that your first post talked about "how to use research in solving real design problems", but my question is about how to use Nielsen methods in applied design research in the academia to create rules of thumb and principles for design if possible whatsoever.
Mike's interpretation offers a possible solution by including diversity (users, skills, tasks, platforms, etc.) and still having big 'N'. But again, the funding needed is likely to be too high for the ROI.
Best,
G. Mauricio Mejía
Assistant professor, University of Caldas, Colombia
PhD in Design candidate, University of Minnesota, USA
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