Evaluation by Inspection: Comparing Methods of Practical, Cognitive and Semiotic Basis

This paper presents a study comparing three inspection methods: Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthrough and Semiotic Inspection Method. The objective is to enlighten the novice on HCI methodology improvement and, at the same time, offer new perspectives to experts on the subject. In order to do this, an analysis of the methods applicability on mobile devices is presented, as well as a set of parameters related to the time needed to apply each of the methods, the kind of knowledge generated and the insights created while applying each method. The results suggest that the inspection methods of cognitive and semiotic basis are especially interesting to generate new scientific knowledge in HCI.