Author

Katie Greiner

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of an exploratory study that compared type and quality of participant verbalizations experienced from two concurrent think-aloud methods. The speech communication and traditional think-aloud methods were compared in terms of the number of participant utterances spoken and relevancy of those utterances in terms of further usability analysis. Though the speech communication method produced fewer utterances, it produced more relevant utterances than the traditional method. Participants preferred hearing the moderator's acknowledgment tokens in the speech communication condition to the moderator's silence in the traditional think-aloud method. There was a significant difference with how natural participants felt while experiencing the various protocols. These findings suggest that the moderation style has a potential impact on the type of verbalizations produced during usability sessions and on how participants feel about thinking aloud.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

User interfaces (Computer systems)--Testing; Human-computer interaction

Publication Date

11-15-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

Information Sciences and Technologies (GCCIS)

Advisor

Rozanski, Evelyn

Advisor/Committee Member

Yacci, Michael

Advisor/Committee Member

Alm, Cecilia

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: QA76.9.U83 G74 2012

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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