Testing a walkthrough methodology for theory-based design of walk-up-and-use interfaces

The value of theoretical analyses in user interface design has been hotly debated. All sides agree that it is difficult to apply current theoretical models within the constraints of real-world development projects. We attack this problem in the context of bringing the theoretical ideas within a model of exploratory learning [19] to bear on the evaluation of alternative interfaces for walk-up-and-use systems. We derived a “cognitive walkthrough” procedure for systematically evaluating features of an interface in the context of the theory. Four people independently applied this procedure to four alternative interfaces for which we have empirical usability data. Consideration of the walkthrough sheds light on the consistency with which such a procedure can be applied as well as the accuracy of the results.