Workshop 1: Walkthrough and User Study Methods

You will work with another student to conduct a user study and walkthrough of an app you have chosen. Ideally you are selecting an app that at least one of your group members is not already familiar with, so that they can narrate their experience of the app for the user study without prior knowledge of its design. Please do the user study first, and then work together to document the app’s design more comprehensively using the walkthrough method. Assemble your findings in a simple presentation (Google Slides).

Conducting the User Study

Based on the readings from last week, use the following instructions when conducting your user study:

  1. Introduce the User Study and conduct a semi-structured interview
    1. Ask some questions about the user. What is their persona?
      1. Their name (anonymize this in your notes as “user 1” “user 2” etc.
      2. Their age and occupation
      3. Ask them what their general experience is using digital technologies
      4. Ask them how they use apps like the one you are testing in their everyday practice
        1. Ask them what they like about those apps / technologies
        2. Ask them what their problems or frustrations are with those apps / technologies
  2. Introduce the think-aloud method
    1. Inform the user that they will be given a task, and that they will be asked to “think aloud” while they navigate the app to accomplish that task
    2. Inform the user that you will not be assisting them in accomplishing the task, and that if they encounter a problem, they are encouraged to narrate their thoughts as they work through it
    3. The user may ask clarifying questions, but not be guided through their experience of the app
  3. Conduct the user study, recording the things the user is narrating through as they attempt to accomplish the task
  4. (after the study is complete) Transform your insights into diagrams, narratives and figures to convey the way the user made decisions as they navigated the app’s design features. Summarize the results, comparing each user study (if possible)

If you are the one conducting the study, be sure to take lots of notes. If you are participating in the study, be sure to narrate your experience in detail.

Walkthrough Method

While the user study documents a single user’s path through an app, the walkthrough method is meant to develop a comprehensive “map” of the app’s design. When conducting the walkthrough, take steps to look at each affordance or design feature in detail, thinking about how it relates to user needs, the company’s business interests, and the governance of user behavior. Analyze the sign-up process, the app’s ordinary use, and the process of cancelling an account or leaving the app. Document your findings using the following format:

Registration / Sign-up process

Design feature observed How does the feature relate to user needs? How does the feature relate to the company’s business interests How does the feature govern user behavior?

Everyday Use

Design feature observed How does the feature relate to user needs? How does the feature relate to the company’s business interests How does the feature govern user behavior?

Suspension, closure and leaving

Design feature observed How does the feature relate to user needs? How does the feature relate to the company’s business interests How does the feature govern user behavior?

You may supplement this documentation with a diagram if you wish.

Once you are finished with both studies, make notes on how the user study compares to the walkthrough analysis. Having observed the affordances that govern user behavior, how did those affordances influence the user’s navigation of the app? Provide an brief summary of your findings in your Google Slides, reflecting on the way that design features influence user behavior. What kinds of activities are allowed or encouraged by the app? What kinds of activities are discouraged or not allowed? Reflect on how you would expand on or change the app’s design to encourage expanded possibilities for interaction, self-expression or social connection.