Editing Think aloud protocol (section)

== Description ==
Think-aloud protocols involve participants thinking aloud as they are performing a set of specified tasks. Participants are asked to say whatever comes into their mind as they complete the task. This might include what they are looking at, thinking, doing, and feeling. This gives observers insight into the participant's cognitive processes (rather than only their final product), to make thought processes as explicit as possible during task performance. In a formal research protocol, all verbalizations are transcribed and then analyzed. In a [[usability testing]] context, observers are asked to take notes of what participants say and do, without attempting to interpret their actions and words, and especially noting places where they encounter difficulty. Test sessions may be completed on participants own devices or in a more controlled setting.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mclaughlin|first1=Matthew|last2=Duff|first2=Jed|last3=McKenzie|first3=Tom|last4=Campbell|first4=Elizabeth|last5=Sutherland|first5=Rachel|last6=Wiggers|first6=John|last7=Wolfenden|first7=Luke|date=2021-07-26|title=Evaluating Digital Program Support for the Physical Activity 4 Everyone (PA4E1) School Program: Mixed Methods Study|journal=JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting|language=en|volume=4|issue=3|pages=e26690|pmid=34309565|  doi=10.2196/26690|issn=2561-6722|pmc=8367175 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Sessions are often audio- and video-recorded so that developers can go back and refer to what participants did and how they reacted.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mclaughlin|first1=Matthew|last2=Duff|first2=Jed|last3=McKenzie|first3=Tom|last4=Campbell|first4=Elizabeth|last5=Sutherland|first5=Rachel|last6=Wiggers|first6=John|last7=Wolfenden|first7=Luke|date=2021-07-26|title=Evaluating Digital Program Support for the Physical Activity 4 Everyone (PA4E1) School Program: Mixed Methods Study|journal=JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting|language=en|volume=4|issue=3|pages=e26690|doi=10.2196/26690|pmid=34309565 |issn=2561-6722|pmc=8367175 |doi-access=free }}</ref>