A Revised Heuristic Framework for Digital Usability: Bridging Travis’s Legacy with Contemporary ISO Principles

Abstract

This document presents the complete specification of the Revised Heuristic Framework for Digital Usability, the product of a systematic modernization of David Travis’s 2014 Usability Heuristics Guide. The framework is structured around 13 Core Interaction Principles, derived from a synthesis of ISO 9241-110:2020 and ISO 9241-112:2017. For each principle, this document provides a formal definition and a detailed description to establish its conceptual boundaries and intent. Crucially, to ensure traceability and demonstrate the evolution from the original guide, each principle is explicitly cross-referenced with the specific heuristics from Travis’s compendium that it supersedes, validates, or consolidates. This mapping provides a clear lineage from the established, practitioner-focused guidelines to the new, principle-based framework, offering evaluators a coherent understanding of its foundation and scope.