Triggered Think-Aloud Protocol: Using Eye Tracking to Improve Usability Test Moderation

Usability practitioners often rely on research participants' verbal reports to better understand the user experience. These reports can be collected either during or after task execution, with each approach entailing unique benefits and limitations. This note presents a framework for using eye tracking data to "trigger" when and how moderators probe participants for verbal comments during task execution to supplement or elaborate participant-initiated comments. A preliminary case study suggests that this approach affords a level of efficiency and effectiveness difficult to achieve with retrospective verbalization or without the use of eye tracking. The hope is that practitioners will be encouraged to use and refine this method for the benefit of the field.