Elicitation Study

An elicitation study is a user research method in which participants are shown the effect of an action (called a referent) and asked to propose the input or gesture (called a sign) that should cause it. This approach generates user-defined interaction techniques rather than imposing designer-created ones. In accessibility research, elicitation studies are used to design intuitive interactions for technologies such as interactive tactile models, gesture-based interfaces, and assistive devices, ensuring that the resulting interaction vocabulary aligns with users' natural behaviors and mental models. Results are typically analyzed using metrics like max-consensus and consensus-distinct ratios to identify the most agreed-upon input techniques.