Which of the following is an example of a cognitive walk-through?

• A. A usability expert steps through a user interface to evaluate how a new user would accomplish tasks, identifying potential cognitive challenges at each step.
• B. A team conducts a brainstorming session to generate ideas for improving a website's visual design.
• C. A researcher observes participants in a natural setting without intervening, recording their behaviors for later analysis.
• D. A group of users completes a survey about their satisfaction with a product after using it for a week.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of a cognitive walk-through. It is a usability evaluation method where an expert simulates a user's problem-solving process at each step of interacting with a system to identify potential usability issues.
2. Step 2: Review each option and determine if it involves an expert stepping through tasks from a new user's perspective, focusing on cognitive challenges during task completion.
3. Step 3: Identify that the option describing a usability expert stepping through a user interface to evaluate how a new user would accomplish tasks matches the definition of a cognitive walk-through.
4. Step 4: Recognize that other options describe different methods: brainstorming (idea generation), naturalistic observation (behavioral recording), and surveys (user feedback), which are not cognitive walk-throughs.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct example of a cognitive walk-through is the one involving the usability expert evaluating the interface step-by-step from a new user's perspective.