Revisiting the walkthrough method
The walkthrough method was one of the first approaches that fused cultural studies and science and technology studies to examine how apps make technocultural interventions in users’ lives. Developed from 2014-2018, the method consists of two phases: 1) establishing the environment of expected use through analysis of an app company’s vision, business model, and governance strategy, and 2) conducting a technical walkthrough of screens, features, and functionalities to understand how such expected use is technologically embedded. Since the method’s initial development, apps have evolved more complex algorithmic functions, artificial intelligence mechanisms, and routes of datafication while also existing within a more expansive platform ecology. This project combines a review of studies and scholarly literature employing the walkthrough method, consideration of approaches derived from–or complimentary to–the method, reflections from years of teaching the method, and explorations of applying the method to new apps, in order to identify its enduring strengths while proposing adaptations to enhance effectiveness in the present app landscape.
Ce contenu a été mis à jour le 28 juin 2022 à 23 h 32 min.