How do you choose the right tasks and scenarios for cognitive walkthroughs?

2 Choosing the right tasks

To conduct a cognitive walkthrough, you must define a set of tasks that accurately reflect the goals and actions of your users. These tasks should be realistic, relevant, and representative of the user's needs and expectations. When selecting the right tasks, start with the most important or frequent tasks that your users perform on your interface. Additionally, break down the tasks into smaller and more specific subtasks that can be completed in a few steps. It is important to avoid tasks that are too easy or too difficult, as they may not reveal any usability issues or insights. To provide context and motivation for the tasks, use scenarios such as who the user is, what they want to achieve, and why they use your interface.

3 Conducting the walkthrough

Once you have defined the tasks and scenarios, you can conduct the cognitive walkthrough by selecting a knowledgeable team of evaluators and then walking through the steps that the user would take to complete each task on the interface. During this process, you should ask four questions: will the user know what to do, will they notice the correct option or action, will they understand the feedback or result of each action, and will they be satisfied with the outcome? Additionally, record any problems or difficulties that the user might encounter and any positive aspects or suggestions for improvement. Finally, analyze the results and prioritize issues based on their severity and impact on the user's experience.

4 Reporting the findings

The final step of the cognitive walkthrough is to report the findings and recommendations to the stakeholders and designers. The report should provide a brief overview of the method, tasks, and scenarios used for the walkthrough. Additionally, a summary of the main findings should be included, such as the number and type of problems, positive aspects, and overall usability rating of the interface. Furthermore, a detailed description of each problem should be provided, including the task, step, question, issue, and possible solution. Finally, a list of recommendations for improving the interface and user experience should be included based on the findings and best practices.