light et al - the walkthrough method

The Walkthrough Method: A Study of Apps

Introduction

  • Prevalence of Apps in Digital Media: Apps are important in transforming sociocultural and economic domains like health, relationships, and finance.

  • Challenges in App Research: Apps are often closed systems presenting unique research challenges.

  • Walkthrough Method Overview: A combination of science and technology studies (STS) and cultural studies used for critical app analysis, establishing the app's environment of expected use.

Key Components of the Walkthrough Method

  • Environment of Expected Use

    • Definition: The envisioned context in which the app is supposed to be used.

    • Establishing Components:

      • Vision: The app's purpose and target audience.

      • Operating Model: How the app generates revenue and its business strategy.

      • Governance: Rules and guidelines managing user activity and norms.

Step-by-Step App Analysis

  • Walkthrough Technique: Involves detailed observation of app screens, features, and user interaction.

  • Phases of Walkthrough:

    1. Registration and Entry: Initial setup and account creation; communicates app’s governance and expected use.

    2. Everyday Use: Examines regular user engagement with app functionalities and flow of activities.

    3. Suspension, Closure, and Leaving: User's process of disconnecting from the app and managing their data.

Theoretical Framework

  • Actor-Network Theory (ANT): Understanding how sociocultural and technical processes mutually shape each other.

  • Affordances Theory: Examines the capabilities an app offers and how design influences user actions.

Application of the Walkthrough Method

  • Registration and Entry Phase: Analyzes how users create accounts and what the app communicates during this process.

    • Example: Tinder connects with Facebook for verification.

  • Everyday Use Phase: Focuses on how users interact with various features of the app.

    • Example: Navigation structures in different types of apps (e.g., Squirt vs. Pet Rescue Saga).

  • Suspension and Leaving Phase: Investigates how the app supports or complicates user exits.

    • Example: Facebook's retention strategies when users delete the app.

Research Insights and Implications

  • Unexpected User Practices: Recognition of how users may engage with apps in unintended ways, leading to new uses and meanings.

  • Ethical Considerations: How user data is treated during the walkthrough and ensuring ethical research practices in app studies.

Conclusion

  • Importance of Apps: Apps reflect cultural values and shape interactions between users and technologies.

  • Flexibility of the Walkthrough Method: Adaptable to various research contexts, providing a systematic approach for analyzing the intersection of technology and culture in app usage.