Pluralistic walkthrough


The pluralistic walkthrough is a usability inspection method used to identify usability issues in a piece of software or website in an effort to create a maximally usable human-computer interface. The method centers on using a group of users, developers and usability professionals to step through a task scenario, discussing usability issues associated with dialog elements involved in the scenario steps. The group of experts used is asked to assume the role of typical users in the testing. The method is prized for its ability to be utilized at the earliest design stages, enabling the resolution of usability issues quickly and early in the design process. The method also allows for the detection of a greater number of usability problems to be found at one time due to the interaction of multiple types of participants. This type of usability inspection method has the additional objective of increasing developers’ sensitivity to users’ concerns about the product design.

Procedure

Walk-Through Team

A walk-through team must be assembled prior to the pluralistic walk-through. Three types of participants are included in the walk-through:
The following materials are needed to conduct a pluralistic walkthrough:
Participants are given written instructions and rules at the beginning of the walkthrough session. The rules indicate to all participants to:
Pluralistic walkthroughs are group activities that require the following steps be followed:
  1. Participants are presented with the instructions and the ground rules mentioned above. The task description and scenario package are also distributed.
  2. Next, a product expert gives a brief overview of key product concepts and interface features. This overview serves the purpose of stimulating the participants to envision the ultimate final product, so that the participants would gain the same knowledge and expectations of the ultimate product that product end users are assumed to have.
  3. The usability testing then begins. The scenarios are presented to the panel of participants and they are asked to write down the sequence of actions they would take in attempting to complete the specified task. They do this individually without conferring amongst each other.
  4. Once everyone has written down their actions independently, the participants discuss the actions that they suggested for that task. They also discuss potential usability problems. The order of communication is usually such that the representative users go first so that they are not influenced by the other panel members and are not deterred from speaking.
  5. After the users have finished, the usability experts present their findings to the group. The developers often explain their rationale behind their design. It is imperative that the developers assume an attitude of welcoming comments that are intended to improve the usability of their product.
  6. The walkthrough facilitator presents the correct answer if the discussion is off course and clarifies any unclear situations.
  7. After each task, the participants are given a brief questionnaire regarding the usability of the interface they have just evaluated.
  8. Then the panel moves on to the next task and round of screens. This process continues until all the scenarios have been evaluated.
Throughout this process, usability problems are identified and classified for future action. The presence of the various types of participants in the group allows for a potential synergy to develop that often leads to creative and collaborative solutions. This allows for a focus on user-centered perspective while also considering the engineering constraints of practical system design.

Characteristics of Pluralistic Walkthrough

Other types of usability assessment methods include: Cognitive Walkthroughs, Interviews, Focus Groups, Remote Testing and Think Aloud Protocol. Pluralistic Walkthroughs share some of the same characteristics with these other methods, especially cognitive walkthroughs, but there are some defining characteristics :

Benefits

There are several benefits that make the pluralistic usability walkthrough a valuable tool.
There are several limitations to the pluralistic usability walkthrough that affect its usage.