cognitive walkthrough

Cognitive walkthrough is usability inspection method belonging to the family of analytical evaluation processes as opposed to empirical evaluation processes like usability test. In cognitive walkthrough a hypothetical user follows a course of action prescribed by a usability expert, who takes notes of the cognitive effort of the user to find his way in the interface. The goal of cognitive walkthrough is to determine the level of user learnability to use a service. This makes it clear for the software developers spot design flaws in the interface that affect user activity. Common issues brought to the fore by cognitive walkthrough include bad menu design and unsuitable mechanisms to undo an undesirable action. Action sequences

A typical cognitive walkthrough is split into 4 steps:

1- Define input - To first lay out the foundations for effective cognitive walkthrough, it's suggested to define the features of the target user. This involves establishing the user group most likely to be the end consumers of the product and what knowledge and experience they are most likely to have. Next some example tasks should be set up. These may range from one to numerous taks representative of the work environment of the end user. It's important that these tasks be chosen to match as close as possible the real tasks performed on the system. The next substep is the sequence of actions to perform the chosen tasks is determined, in an attempt to predict which path the user the user is most likely to choose.

2- check sequence of actions. The observer takes note of the solution path employed by the user to accomplish a given task, heeding the user's input and how he concluded that was the most efficient way to carry out the intended end. Some questions commonly asked at this stage are:
Will the user manage to produce the right effect?
Will the user be able to recognise the correct action to what he's trying to do?
Will the user establish a connection between the correct action and the desired effect?

 3- record critical information. At this point the observer will have two sorts of information obtained during the product analysis: 3-a) information about the user's experience and knowledge to successfully execute an action considering the various sequences necessary to do so; 3-b) information about actions that actually led to errors and thus to problems with teh user.

4- interface revision. The goal of cognitive walkthrough is to identify flaws in the interface, which in term leads to improvements in the interface design which should lead to overall better user satisfaction and more efficient system use.

As one can notice, a cognitive walkthrough starts with a task analysis suggesting the sequence of steps or actions required by a user to accomplish a task. The designers and developers of the software then walk through the steps as a group, asking themselves a set of questions at each step, gathering data during the walkthrough. Afterwards a report of potential issues is compiled. Finally the software is redesigned to address the issues identified.