There are several heuristic strategies a problem solver can use to aid in their search for a solution. The first is referred to as means-end analysis. This technique involves reviewing the entire problem first, and breaking the problem down into little steps which can be easily solved.
The second is referred to as working backward. This strategy can be best illustrated through maze-solving. Frequently a person might start at the goal and work their way backwards through the maze to the start. Of course, this technique is only effective in certain very specific situations.
A site locates at www.useit.com gives instructions on how to conduct a heuristic evalution for a computer language. That is on one of many different uses for heuristics. Another possible use for heuristics is as an effective genetic algorithm.