Cognitive Walk-Throughs
usability testing expert review contextual inquiry

A cognitive walk-through is a usability analysis technique that focuses on the ease of learning a new interface. This method has been evolving since its introduction in 1990.

The Project Lead obtains:

• Description of the interface
• Task scenario
• Assumptions about the knowledge a user will bring to the task
• Specific actions a user must perform to accomplish the task with the interface

Evaluation Questions:

Each evaluator considers the following four questions while performing a cognitive walk-through:

• Will the user try to achieve the right effect?
• Will the user notice that the correct action is available?
• Will the user associate the correct action with the effect that the user is trying to achieve?
• If the correct action is performed, will the user see that progress is being made toward a solution of the task?