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People with dementia may miss out on the benefits of using technology, because they often find it difficult to use. Usability testing is one method to identify barriers and areas for improvement in technology. Unfortunately, usability testing is often not conducted with people with dementia, independent of their caregivers. Difficulty recruiting local participants with dementia who regularly use technology further compounds the problem. Remote methods have been proposed as one approach to recruiting hard-to-reach populations. Currently, it is unclear how to effectively conduct remote summative usability testing with people with dementia. We recruited 15 participants. Five took part in the pilot study and 10 participated in the main study. We identify best practices and make suggestions for remote summative usability tests with people who have mild to moderate dementia, independent of caregivers. We discuss our findings in three sections: (1) logistics for planning remote summative usability testing, (2) approaches for conducting remote summative usability testing, including modifications of research methods, and (3) considerations when evaluating findings from remote summative usability sessions. We also present modified usability testing methods we developed to meet the unique needs of users with mild to moderate dementia, and summarize lessons learned and new directions for research on this topic.

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Think-alouds are a common method of collecting design data where a player describes their play for a facilitator. Games promote a feeling of immersivity and player presence, which is in tension with traditional think-aloud methods. This work introduces a new type of think-aloud protocol intended for game-based contexts which leverages the genres of video blogging and livestreaming in game culture. This new approach, called Play Aloud testing, has participants take on the role of a game streamer by expressing their thoughts, feelings, and experiences as they play – modeled after live streaming commentary. This paper demonstrates the potential of the Play Aloud approach using playtest data from a game called HEX of the Turtle Islands. We highlight how Play Aloud testing generated useful data providing insight into the experience of young players in a way that was authentic to the format of digital games and consistent with youth gaming practices.