![]() If you let a user operate the mobile device in the same way as they’d operate a desktop – your research will be flawed. In short, you need to help users capture that changing context. Setting out a walking course with obstacles to simulate the effect of using the device on the move Using treadmills to simulate the effect of using the device on the move Using stop-start techniques (for example, using a bell to indicate the user should start a task and to take a break from a task) Use people as temporary distractions by having them walk into the environment or interact briefly with the user Play music/video in the background while the user works to carry out their tasks Lorraine offers the following ideas to do this: This then leads to a question of how to simulate the field conditions within the lab to ensure that our research is accurate. What Can We Do to Simulate Real Life in the Lab? It was also shown to deliver better results in terms of reported issues. ![]() However, she also cites that lab research becomes equally valid to field research when steps are taken to try and create realistic field conditions and that this lab based research can save both time, money and resource compared to conducting work in the field. Field research becomes more important for mobile testing because it offers “real world” insight that may be difficult to create in the lab In her article “Mobile User Research Methods” Lorraine Patterson a Usability Professional notes that this constant change of context for mobile users is going to have an impact on research. Copyright terms and licence: Fair Use What does this mean for mobile usability testing? Mobile brings more users than desktop computing but users with profoundly different needs than desktop users.Īuthor/Copyright holder: MHCIGroup. The mouse isn’t the mobile experience – touchscreens, voice inputs, user movements, etc. ![]() That’s a different experience too – tablets aren’t desktops but they offer more “desktop like” functionality than a smartphone does. a broad range of capability means more testing and a need to rely on W3C standards. Then there’s the difference in browsers, operating systems, etc. Everyone has a different device with slightly differing capabilities. Mobile may be mobile but it’s not a single experience. Not only are devices more susceptible to being lost and/or stolen but they also contain far more personal data than a desktop typically would. GPS positions, pictures of the user, their friends and family, communication data between colleagues, friends, etc. Mobile has led to a wealth of new personal data generation. It’s not to say that they will never carry out long, complex interactions but these will be rare. In light of the ever-changing context it should be apparent that users are going to prefer short, simple interactions on mobile. Their location varies, their ability to pay attention varies, their connectivity may drop in and out and even the way they hold or deal with the device itself can change. It might sound silly but when users aren’t sat still – their context constantly changes. What are the major differences between mobile and desktop environments? When you test a mobile product with users, you need to examine that product in the right context because the mobile environment isn’t the same as the traditional desktop environment. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 It’s not so much learning new research skills as looking at them in a different light.Īuthor/Copyright holder: Superdiddly. This means being aware of the context and adapting research to take advantage of that context. It’s important to remember that while we may use the same methods for mobile usability research as we use for other types of usability research the mobile environment is different to the environment at the desktop.
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