Exploring Think-aloud Method with Deaf and Hard of Hearing College Students

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The think-aloud protocol is an effective method frequently used by designers and researchers to understand how users interact with computing systems. However, there is limited research on the use of this method with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) populations, especially in virtual settings. In this paper, we investigate the behaviors of DHH participants in virtual think-aloud sessions to better understand the challenges of conducting this type of research with this population. We conducted twelve virtual think-aloud sessions with DHH participants using Zoom, and we gathered feedback from surveys, interviews, and observations. Our results identified DHH behaviors leading to a lack of clarity in think-aloud data, such as asynchrony between signing and navigating the interfaces, as well as the use of visual descriptive signs instead of explicit terminology to ambiguously refer to interface components. Based on our findings, we provide methodological and design implications to help researchers effectively carry out virtual think-aloud studies with DHH participants (e.g., when and how to prompt for clarification).