Slides for a hands-on session at Accessibility Camp Bay Area on how to use cognitive walkthroughs for a task-oriented accessibility review.

1. Using cognitive walkthroughs for a
task-oriented accessibility review
Sarah Pulis Twitter: sarahtp
Andrew Arch Twitter: amja
creating an inclusive digital world
intopia.digital @intopiadigital

2. We’re creating an
inclusive digital world
(from down under!)
We help organisations be more inclusive
and accessible.
Together, we create enjoyable, efficient
digital experiences for everyone.
Let’s go on an accessibility adventure
together.

3. Today’s session
• The example that sparked this presentation
• What is a cognitive walkthrough?
• How to conduct a cognitive walkthrough for
accessibility
• Let’s do a cognitive walkthrough together
• Pros and cons of cognitive walkthroughs

6. Can we develop a process to conduct a
task-oriented and user-oriented expert
review?

7. What is a cognitive walkthrough?
An evaluator examines the usability of a product
by walking through a series of tasks and asking a
set of questions from a user’s point of view.

8. Steps in a cognitive walkthrough
1. Create a list of tasks a user wants to do
2. Create a list of steps needed to
complete each task
3. Choose a persona, perform the walkthrough and
document the experience

9. Step 1
Create a list of tasks a user wants to do

10. Common tasks for an eCommerce website
• Search for a product
• Browse for a product
• Add products to your trolley
• Checkout and pay for your products
• Contact the organisation
• Find out about the accessibility options

11. Group activity
1. Choose a website or app to conduct a cognitive
walkthrough on
2. Write down a list of task your users want to do on
your chosen website or app

12. Step 2
Create a list of steps needed to
complete each task

13. Login to an eCommerce website
1. Navigate to the eCommerce website
2. Select the Log In/Sign up button
3. Enter an email address
4. Enter a password
5. Select the Login button

14. Group activity
1. Choose one task from your task list (you might not
want to choose one that is too long)
2. Write a list of steps needed to complete that task

15. Step 3
Choose a persona, perform the walkthrough
and document the experience

16. As you complete the task, ask a series of
questions
• Will users understand how to start the task?
• Will the user notice and understand the controls
needed to complete the task?
• Will the user be able to access the controls needed
to complete the task?
• Was there feedback to indicate they completed (or
did not complete) the task?
• Was it easy to achieve the desired outcome?

17. Group activity
• Choose a persona
• Perform the cognitive walkthrough
• Document the experience for that persona
• Reflect on any improvements that you could make

18. Share your experiences performing a cognitive
walkthrough
Could you see yourself using this in your work?

19. Benefits of cognitive walkthroughs
• task-oriented
• can be done during the early stages of design
• can identify requirements gaps
• more cost effective and fast compared with
usability testing

20. Things to be cautious of
• not a replacement for usability testing
• can be time consuming
• insights can be affected by the knowledge and skill of
the person conducting the walkthrough

21. Let’s continue the conversation
Sarah Pulis
@sarahtp sarah@intopia.digital
Andrew Arch
@amja andrew@intopia.digital
creating an inclusive digital world
intopia.digital @intopiadigital