Cognitive walkthrough

Imagine you're going on a treasure hunt, but the only way to find the treasure is to follow a set of instructions. A cognitive walkthrough is like a treasure hunt in a way. But instead of looking for treasure, you're trying to find out if a website, computer program, or app is easy to use.

First, you need to understand what a website, computer program, or app is. You know how your tablet or phone works? That's an app! And the instructions you use to get to the next level in your favorite game? That's a computer program! Lastly, have you ever looked up information on the internet? That's a website!

So, a cognitive walkthrough is like a pretend treasure hunt where instead of treasure, you look for things that may be hard for people to do, like finding important information or figuring out how to use a feature. You'll do this by pretending to be someone who doesn't know much about the website or app, like a little kid or someone's grandma. Then you'll use the website or app and see what things are easy or hard to find and use.

When you finish the cognitive walkthrough, you give feedback to the people who made the website or app, kind of like telling them where the treasure is! They will use your feedback to make the website or app easier to use for everyone.