This technique is used to evaluate early mock-ups of design and issues around “ease of learning.” the objective is to find discrepancies between the user’s and the designer’s concept of a task and the steps involved in the process. A Cognitive Walk-through is a team effort and can be done throughout the product life cycle (with anything from a paper prototype and a fully-functional product.) the following questions can be answered by this type of evaluation.

• Will users perform the correct action?
• Will users know the action is available?
• Will users associate the action with the goal?
• Do users receive validating feedback?

Process outline:

• Identify specific characteristics of users so the team has a clear understanding of who will be using the product.
• Select high-value or problematic tasks and build scenarios.
• Describe the interface and correct path to complete the task.
• The Usability Insights consultant will moderate as the group walks through the actions of each task and tells a story of what the user would be doing and thinking at each step.
• Explore reasons for the users to complete the task in a certain way. Suggest explnations for correct or incorrect actions.
• The group identifies areas of concern and discrepancies and makes recommendations for corrections.