Which usability method involves users verbally expressing their thoughts while interacting with a product?

The think-aloud protocol is a usability method where users articulate their thoughts, feelings, and reasoning processes while interacting with a product. This method provides valuable insights into the user's cognitive processes, allowing researchers and designers to understand how users navigate a product, what challenges they face, and what features they find helpful or confusing. By vocalizing their thoughts, users can uncover nuances in their interactions that might not be captured through observation alone. This approach actively engages users, making it easier to gather qualitative data that can lead to product improvements and enhancements based on actual user experiences.

In contrast, user testing typically involves observing how users perform tasks but does not necessarily require them to voice their thoughts. Focus groups gather diverse opinions and feedback on a product in a group setting but lack the individual, detailed insight that the think-aloud method provides. Surveys collect feedback through structured questions, which can generate quantitative data but do not capture the dynamic thought processes of users in real-time.