Handheld device usability testing techniques
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Walt Buchan - July 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannymol/7520467800/
2http://www.flickr.com/photos/witflow/5936043207/
The goal for mobile device testing has been to recreate the desktop usability testing and record the screen of the device.
Typically this has meant mounting the device on a sled with a webcam, or two, to video the screen and the participants face.
3http://www.flickr.com/photos/slumadridcampus/5750162705/
That struck me as the wrong approach. Like putting a participant under a microscope.
We know that people use phones and tablets anytime, anywhere, anyhow. I wanted to get testing closer to that ideal, real environment of use.
4http://www.flickr.com/photos/earlysound/4490601295/
Something where the participant is as unimpeded by recording equipment and technology as possible.
But without the cat.
5http://www.flickr.com/photos/smays/4489922240/
The technique needed to acknowledges the revolution in usage that phones and tablets have achieved.
No more do you have to sit at a desk on an office chair in room on your own. Now you can watch TV at the same time too.
6http://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/5346045124/
Wait a minute, the guys that are paying for the testing still want to watch the test and sleds allowed that
But using a sled creates an opportunity to video the screen and the participant’s hands. Now we can see how they physically use the phone too.
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No sled here, just a camera suspended over the area where the participant will use the phone.
Now they can pick the device up, put it down, switch to landscape and back. Noting to impede their usage. And the clients can still watch the streamed video of the test.
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How to record a mobile user test
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cxpartners first mobile phone test rig back in 2007. DV/HDMI Cameras are great as they have optical zoom and fixed focus.Webcams, unfortunately, appear to autofocus on human skin not shiny screens. That makes videoing people using phones very difficult.
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Capture a contextual video. The usability kit in development, this kit can be used without the table in user testing sessions.
Kit includes:•DV cam•Microphone stand•EasyCap capture card (Windows and OSX compatible)
• Use the EasyCap software to record the test session
• Mirror the computer screen via VGA to an external monitor for clients
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Other ideas to get that video quality tip top.•Use black sugar paper or ‘photographers velvet’ to reduce white balance problems
•use phones with black cases, if possible•anti-reflective sticky screens for the phone to cut the glare
• indirect lighting
12http://www.flickr.com/photos/teachingsagittarian/5528385861/
Alternatively use a document camera.
The lower quality of the camera means the participant will lose flexibility of use.
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www.haydenat.com
Wish list -
The Note-Taker system using a Point Grey Firefly camera and the super clever system developed by David Hayden.
The combination of a machine vision cameras and multi-touch pan and zoom control of the picture is irresistible.
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Sleds are available
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www.mrtappy.com/photos.htm
www.noldus.com/human-behavior-research/accessories/mobile-device-camera-mdc
www.measuringusability.com/blog/mobile-usability-test.php
There are some great sleds available, if that’s the direction you choose.
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My sled, made of K’Nex (my kids haven’t forgiven me) and a phone holder that would normally be stuck to a car windscreen.
It’s very cheap, very light, fits any phone and spins to allow landscape use of phones.
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Sleds are likely to make people use two hands when they normally use one hand
People can feel uncomfortable holding them for long periods of time (to be fair mobile tests shouldn’t need people to hold the phone for a long time)
People may not pick the sled up leaving them to jab at the phone with a finger
References are included at the end.
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Alternatives that capture screen activity
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http://rpetri.ch/cydia/displayrecorder/
Display Recorder
Only works on jailbroken iOS phones. That’s not something I’d recommend, particularly in a test environment.
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http://www.uxrecorder.com/
UX Recorder
Very promising software to record mobile websites and shell apps. Currently waiting for approval from Apple, I assume ( in July 2012)
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http://www.telerik.com/automated-testing-tools/ios-testing.aspx
Test Studio
A kit to add whilst an app is being developed. that will record how Beta apps are used.
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Summary
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There’s been a debate that the technique used to capture the session depends on the objectives of the test.
e.g.Comprehension of the content - maybe a sled is better
Ergonomics of the app - maybe a contextual video is better
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petroleumjelliffe/694990145/
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I think the debate is over.
Always gather a contextual video. With the right camera you’ll get context and see, in detail, the screen the participant sees and you’ll see how the device is used.
If you can, add a screen recorder to collect and stream the screen of the device.
You don’t need a sled, their days are numbered.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideath/6978494627/
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Reference list:
HCI Beyond the GUI. Design for Haptic, Speech, Olfactory, and Other Non-traditional Interfaces. Edited by Philip Kortum - 2008, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.
Henry Been-Lirn Duh et al. Usability Evaluation for Mobile Device: A Comparison of Laboratory and Field Tests - 2005
Rudy Schusteritsch et al. Towards the Perfect Infrastructure for Usability Testing on Mobile Devices - CHI 2007
ApologiesI’m aware this presentation is skewed toward testing iOS devices. It’s a reflection of the commercial testing I’ve been involved with.
I intend to revise the presentation to include ideas for user testing Android and Microsoft and other OS devices.
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Thank you
@silverfoxyboy
Walt Buchan
