Recall Steps Guiding

Learning Objectives

• By the end of this module, students will be able to recall the steps and guiding questions of the cognitive walkthrough evaluation method (MO1 – Remember).
• Students will be able to list the cognitive walkthrough steps in correct sequential order.
• Students will be able to identify each guiding question associated with each step of the cognitive walkthrough method.
• Students will be able to recognize the purpose of the cognitive walkthrough as a usability evaluation technique within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Prerequisites

• Basic familiarity with the concept of usability and why it matters in interface design (covered in prior CEN3722 modules).
• Awareness of what a usability evaluation method is and how it differs from user testing.
• Ability to read and interpret a simple task scenario or user flow.
• No prior experience with cognitive walkthrough is assumed; this module introduces the method from the ground up.

Materials & Resources

• Slide deck: "Introduction to the Cognitive Walkthrough Method" (provided via course LMS).
• Printed or digital reference card: "Cognitive Walkthrough – Steps and Guiding Questions at a Glance" (one-page summary handout).
• Sample UI scenario packet: a short interface task (e.g., booking a flight on a simple web form) used during practice activities.
• Required reading: Lewis, C. & Rieman, J. – Task-Centered User Interface Design, Chapter on Cognitive Walkthrough (open-access excerpt linked on LMS).
• Optional supplementary video: Nielsen Norman Group – "Cognitive Walkthroughs Explained" (~8 minutes, linked on LMS).
• Blank flashcard templates (physical or digital via tools such as Quizlet) for memorization activity.
• LMS quiz tool for the end-of-module check-for-understanding.

Instructional Activities

• **Activity 1 – Hook & Activation (5 minutes):** Open with a brief think-pair-share prompt: "Have you ever used an app or website and felt lost without any instructions? What happened?" Collect two or three responses to frame the need for structured usability evaluation. Connect student answers to the purpose of the cognitive walkthrough method.
• **Activity 2 – Direct Instruction: What Is a Cognitive Walkthrough? (10 minutes):** Deliver a focused mini-lecture using the slide deck. Cover (a) definition of the cognitive walkthrough, (b) its origin as an expert-based evaluation method, and (c) its goal of simulating a novice user's step-by-step thought process. Emphasis at this stage is purely definitional to support the Remember level of MO1.
• **Activity 3 – Direct Instruction: The Steps and Guiding Questions (15 minutes):** Walk through each cognitive walkthrough step explicitly using slides and the reference card. Present the four classic steps — (1) Define inputs (users, tasks, interface), (2) Walk through each action in the task sequence, (3) For each action ask the guiding questions, (4) Record successes and failures — and display the standard guiding questions: Q1 – Will users know they need to perform this action? Q2 – Will users notice that the correct action is available? Q3 – Will users understand that the correct action will achieve the goal? Q4 – Will users get appropriate feedback after taking the action? Read each question aloud, explain it in plain language, and tie it back to the step it belongs to.
• **Activity 4 – Guided Note-Taking with Reference Card (5 minutes):** Ask students to use the one-page reference card to fill in a partially completed outline of the steps and guiding questions distributed as a handout (or posted in LMS). Review answers as a whole class to correct any misconceptions immediately. This supports encoding at the Remember level through active retrieval.
• **Activity 5 – Flashcard Construction (10 minutes):** Students individually create a set of at least six flashcards — one card per step (front: step number/name; back: description) and one card per guiding question (front: question number; back: full question text). Students may use physical index cards or a digital tool (Quizlet). Instructor circulates to verify accuracy. Flashcard creation is a well-evidenced strategy for building recall-level memory.
• **Activity 6 – Peer Recall Quiz (10 minutes):** In pairs, students quiz each other using their flashcards. Partner A reads the step name; Partner B must state the description without looking. Then switch roles for the guiding questions. Instructor times two rounds (approximately five minutes each). Debrief by asking the class: "Which step or question was hardest to recall, and why?"
• **Activity 7 – Sequence Ordering Game (5 minutes):** Display the four cognitive walkthrough steps out of order on a slide or whiteboard. Call on individual students or use a quick poll (e.g., Poll Everywhere) to have the class vote on the correct sequence. Reveal the answer and briefly explain why the order matters — reinforcing sequential recall as required by MO1.
• **Activity 8 – Wrap-Up & Summary (5 minutes):** Instructor summarizes key takeaways: the four steps of the cognitive walkthrough, the four guiding questions, and how they fit together. Invite final questions. Direct students to complete the LMS quiz before the next class session.

Assessment / Check for Understanding

• **Formative – Partially Completed Outline (Activity 4):** Immediate in-class check; instructor reviews responses whole-class to identify and correct misconceptions about step names or question wording. No grade; used for real-time feedback.
• **Formative – Peer Flashcard Quiz (Activity 6):** Informal peer assessment; students self-report which items they could not recall. Instructor notes patterns to address if multiple pairs struggle with the same item.
• **Formative – Sequence Ordering Poll (Activity 7):** Whole-class response reveals whether students can correctly order the steps; instructor re-teaches any misplaced step on the spot.
• **Summative – LMS Recall Quiz (due before next class session):** A short quiz of 8–10 items aligned strictly to the Remember level of MO1. Item types include: multiple-choice (identify the correct guiding question for a given step), matching (drag each step name to its description), and fill-in-the-blank (complete the guiding question wording). Passing threshold: 80%. Students who score below 80% are directed to re-read the reference card and retake a parallel quiz form. Quiz results inform the instructor whether re-teaching is needed at the start of the next session.
• **Alignment note:** All assessment items target the Remember cognitive level (Bloom's Taxonomy), consistent with MO1. No application or analysis tasks are introduced here; those are reserved for subsequent modules where students conduct an actual cognitive walkthrough evaluation.