Thinking+ALoud+Method

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Introduction
Thinking Aloud Protocol (TAP) is a type of observation method for usability testing or to use during participatory design process. Pioneered by Newell and Simon, TAP requires that participants externalize their thoughts aloud as they complete an assigned task. These verbalizations are then video- or audio- taped for further analysis. Essentially, the theory behind TAP is that it is not enough just to track results of a tasks; but rather, that analysis of how the task was carried out provide a significant wealth of information for understanding the problem-solving process. The TAP method is most useful when the designers need to capture users' expectations and mental models of an interface while completing a task. As an example, when the user see the "scizzor" icon in Microsoft Word, the designer would want to know if the users will relate the icon to the action of "cutting" in real life.

Benefits of TAP
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 * The first five notes are obtained through ( [|http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/HCI/cscln/trail1/Lecture5.html])
 * Simnultaneous, qualitative feedbacks.
 * Several data are compiled during the process: observation of what the user is performing + what the user is trying to achieve
 * Ideally, when users have issues, the researchers get to explain to users the design intention --> explaining the mental model the designer has intended to see how the users react to it. If the reaction is surprisingly positive, perhaps one way to improve the design is to have better labelling for tasks or better manual/instruction information.
 * Research flexibility: researchers get to monify the experiment as the test unfolds.
 * Designing in pairs create opportunity for dialogues between the designers and users. To the very minimal effect, having someone around at least will prevent users getting bored and frustrated.
 * Familarization with user's language: one important benefit is researchers get to hear first hand what language the users are using to refer to certain tasks or issues and these data will help designers develop better labelling for icons on the product and write better manual/instruction (if required).

Limitation of TAP

 * It's hard to jot down everything the users are talking about. In this case, video or audio taping would certainly help, though it incurs higher costs.
 * Researcher's bias: too much interation with the user might cause the users get influenced or bought into the designer's suggestion and ignore their intuitive feelings.
 * Subject's bias: not everyone is comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings (trying to please the researcher) and that can cause serious flaws to the research.
 * Semantic differences: certain words are genuinely vague such as "bad", "like", "dislike", "confusing" and it's very important for the researchers to clarify what exactly the users are describing.