Methods for inclusion: Employing think aloud protocols in software usability studies with individuals who are deaf

Usability is an important step in the software and product design cycle. There are a number of methodologies such as talk aloud protocol, and cognitive walkthrough that can be employed in usability evaluations. However, many of these methods are not designed to include users with disabilities. Legislation and good design practice should provide incentives for researchers in this field to consider more inclusive methodologies. We carried out two studies to explore the viability of collecting gestural protocols from sign language users who are deaf using the think aloud protocol (TAP) method. Results of our studies support the viability of gestural TAP as a usability evaluation method and provide additional evidence that the cognitive systems used to produce successful verbal protocols in people who are hearing seem to work similarly in people who speak with gestures. The challenges for adapting the TAP method for gestural language relate to how the data was collected and not to the data or its analysis.