Application Example​

Develop Phase

In a study designing a visual dashboard to display patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for spine surgery patients, researchers used the cognitive walkthrough method to evaluate the ease of use of their prototype. Health care providers were asked to step through a personalized PRO dashboard presented as a “progress report,” which included data collected from their own patients. As they navigated the interface, participants described how intuitive they found the reports, identified areas of confusion, and suggested design improvements.

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The feedback obtained through cognitive walkthroughs was then incorporated into a functional prototype, which was further tested through small-scale usability sessions. This iterative process ensured that the dashboard design not only met technical requirements but also aligned with the real-world needs and workflows of clinicians. (Hartzler et al., 2015)

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Deliver Phase

In a study designing a web-based tool to support remote management of chemotherapy-related toxicities, researchers conducted cognitive walkthroughs as part of usability testing in the Deliver phase. Patients, caregivers, and health care providers were asked to perform realistic tasks, such as tracking symptoms, reviewing self-management advice, and communicating with clinicians while thinking aloud. These sessions, facilitated by human factors specialists, were observed, videotaped, and analysed using affinity diagramming. (Prince et al., 2019)