Bastien and Scapin's criteria

Q: Are Bastien and Scapin's criteria suited to mobile interfaces?

Bastien and Scapin's criteria apply just as much to desktop interfaces as to mobile interfaces. They also apply to mobile applications.

Q: What is the difference between Bastien and Scapin's criteria and Nielsen's heuristics?

Both sets of criteria come from a rigorous process of defining criteria on the basis of usability studies. If you look more closely, what differentiates the two is rather the level of granularity. Nielsen's 10 heuristics are general principles, quick to memorise and to apply. Bastien and Scapin's 18 criteria are more precise and broken down.

Q: Can Bastien and Scapin's criteria be combined with other standards?

Yes! In any case, that is what we recommend. At Akiani, we have created our checklist by bringing in criteria for accessibility (RGAA), overall web quality (Opquast) and eco-design (RGESN). Depending on the projects we work on, we adapt the criteria we use.

UX method

The French academic framework for interface ergonomics

Bastien and Scapin's criteria are a framework of 18 ergonomic criteria classified into 8 categories to evaluate the quality of a digital interface. Created in 1997 following a report by the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA), these criteria are based on hundreds of recommendations in the field of ergonomics.

Unlike Nielsen's heuristics, which comprise 10 general principles that are easy to memorise and pragmatic, Bastien and Scapin's criteria are more rigorous and structured. Nielsen's allow a quick audit, whereas Bastien and Scapin's go into detail for a complete audit.

We are used to combining them to ensure thorough, in-depth work.

What are Bastien and Scapin's criteria for?

Conducting a complete, structured ergonomic audit according to a precise, documented grid of criteria.
Auditing via a common method that is academically recognised and replicable.
Identifying ergonomic problems that Nielsen's heuristics can miss because of their generality

Why rely on Bastien and Scapin's criteria?

Carrying out a complete ergonomic audit and identifying the main categories of product failure to fix.
Justifying UX recommendations with a structured, documented framework
Complementing a Nielsen evaluation for a finer analysis of usability problems

Guidance
Workload
Explicit Control
Adaptability
Error Management
Homogeneity / Consistency
Significance of Codes and Names
Compatibility

Are Bastien and Scapin's criteria suited to mobile interfaces?

What is the difference between Bastien and Scapin's criteria and Nielsen's heuristics?

Can Bastien and Scapin's criteria be combined with other standards?

An ergonomic analysis of dual-screen use

View the case study

A wine-grower extranet audited, then put back on its feet

View the case study

Related methods

Nielsen's heuristics

Nielsen's 10 heuristics let an expert evaluate an interface without users. The most widespread method for diagnosing usability.

UX benchmark

A benchmark explores current trends in usage, features and design: the good ideas, and the ones to avoid.

UX audit

Systematic, detailed analysis of an interface (web, mobile, business tool) against a set of criteria, used to surface friction points and produce illustrated recommendations.

User testing

User testing has target users assess the usability of your product or service. Depending on the goals, several approaches exist.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics adapts tools to human capabilities. Born in factories, it now applies to interfaces through cognitive ergonomics and UX design.

Usability

Usability measures whether a product lets its users reach their goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, as defined by the ISO 9241-11 standard. An essential component of UX.

Curious to learn more about us?

Everyone talks about user experience, service design, ergonomics...
It's not always clear, and you'd like to find out, or sharpen what you already know.

Let's talk