"Only by knowing what the current system status is can you change it." A user can't reach their goal unless they are able to overcome two UX gulfs: evaluation and execution. With enough good information, the user can overcome the gulf of evaluation by being able to retain an understanding of their surroundings, without which, they cannot hope to eventually overcome the gulf of execution.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

This article talks about the "visibility of system status" heuristic, which says "the system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time." This is the first of 10 usability heuristics created by Jacob Nielsen.


"Definition: The visibility of system status refers to how well the state of the system is conveyed to its users. Ideally, systems should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time."


Summary of this article: "Communicating the current state allows users to feel in control of the system, take appropriate actions to reach their goal, and ultimately trust the brand."

#1: Visibility of system status heuristic (article)

By Aurora Harley on June 3, 2018
Topics: Heuristic Evaluation,  Human Computer Interaction,  Web Usability
Copyright © 1998-2020 Nielsen Norman Group, All Rights Reserved.

NNG Article Reference: Visibility of System Status (Usability Heuristic #1)

Your system should communicate backstage events that may impact users, with notifications, indicators, and/or modal dialogues.

For example, to encourage future purchases on a site, it is good to properly communicate how far away that user is from qualifying for a deal.

Another example: when stock is low, this should be indicated. This indication might prompt users to act quickly according to the scarcity and social proof biases.

Additionally, though, if no items are left in stock, your system should communicate this too in order to save the user effort, because otherwise your site will lose credibility and compel users NOT to perform further actions on your site.

Compel users to action

Knowledge is Power

Providing appropriate, and immediate, feedback within a system is the most basic guideline of user interface design. 

Feedback helps the user interact more efficiently with the system by letting them know when an interaction was successful or unsuccessful. The sooner the user knows an error was made, as well as how and why it was made, the sooner they can fix it. 

Feedback can be as small and simple as a color change, but it aims to reduce uncertainty and confirm to the user that the system is working properly and responding to their input. 

Appropriate feedback

A system's reliability is closely tied to its predictability. How well a user feels they understand a system's state has to do with whether the user's expectations of the system match what the system actually does. Predictability engenders trust, not just in the mechanics of the system, but also in the system's brand. Because of this, any state change, should be communicated to the user at all times. State changes that occur without enough signal to the user, reduce the user's control and understanding within that system and in turn their confidence in said system. Users will not rely on a system that they don't feel they can understand or predict.

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