What is Cognitive walkthrough?
A cognitive walkthrough is a usability inspection method where evaluators step through a task sequence from a new user’s perspective, asking at each step whether users would know what to do and understand the system’s feedback.
How it works
At each step in a task, evaluators ask four questions: (1) Will the user try to achieve the right effect? (2) Will the user notice the correct action is available? (3) Will the user associate the correct action with the desired effect? (4) If the correct action is performed, will the user see progress toward their goal? A ‘no’ answer at any step identifies a usability problem. Cognitive walkthroughs are especially effective for evaluating learnability, the ease with which new users can accomplish tasks without training.
Applied example
Evaluators walk through ‘create an account’ on a new app. At step 3, they realize users won’t know to swipe left to access the registration form because there is no visible cue. This finding leads to adding a visible ‘Sign Up’ button, eliminating a discovery problem that would have frustrated real users.
Why it matters
Cognitive walkthroughs catch learnability problems early by forcing designers to think through each micro-decision a user must make, revealing hidden assumptions about user knowledge.
