Universal Methods of Design

RESEARCH METHOD

13 Cognitive Walkthrough

Cognitive walkthrough is a method that evaluates whether the order of cues and prompts in a system reflect the way people cognitively process tasks and anticipate “next steps” of a system.¹

The cognitive walkthrough is a usability inspection method that evaluates a system’s relative ease-of-use in situations where preparatory instruction, coaching, or training of the system is unlikely to occur. In these situations—when a person must actively engage with an interface to know what to do next, rather than relying on preexisting knowledge of the system—each step of the interaction with the system can be assessed ...