Sage Accounting - Heuristic Evaluation

As someone who writes support content for Sage Accounting, I’ve developed a strong understanding of the product and its users. This project gave me a chance to evaluate the in-product experience through a new lens by applying Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics. While I’m already familiar with how features like "Add Bank Account" function from a content and support perspective, using heuristic analysis helped me consider how intuitive and accessible the journey really is for someone new to the software.

I focused on the Start tier specifically because it’s often used by small business owners with little or no accounting background. Adding a bank account is a core early task, so I wanted to assess how easily a new user could discover and complete this action. Heuristic evaluation offered a structured way to identify usability issues, without needing live user data, and helped me uncover opportunities for improvement in areas like navigation, feedback, and error prevention.

This analysis also ties into my longer-term goal of moving into a UX designer role. Applying usability principles in a hands-on way has helped me build a deeper understanding of design thinking and the impact of small interface decisions on the overall user experience. It’s been valuable not just for identifying improvements within the product but also for shaping how I think about user needs from a design perspective.