Cognitive walkthroughs

This is one of the elective heuristic evaluation methods. Two independent evaluators provide a detailed description of a given sequence of actions, i.e. the steps that an interface will require a user to perform to accomplish a given task. The evaluators then review this action sequence step by step to check for potential usability problems. Setting up such cognitive walkthroughs requires:

• A detailed description of the prototype of the system.
• A description of (representative) tasks the user is to perform on the system.
• A complete, written list of the actions needed to complete the tasks with the given prototype.
• An indication of who the users are and what kind of experience and knowledge the evaluators can assume about them.

In synthesis, the evaluators walk through an action or task sequence in order to review and critique a system and assess its usability.