taking the lab out of mobile usability
TRANSCRIPT
TAKING THE LAB OUT OF
MOBILE USABILITYEthnographic User Research
• Experience Architect : Akendi
• User Experience Researcher: Macadamian
• Sound and UI Designer: Distil Interactive
• User Experience Consultant/Researcher: HOTLab
Carleton
• 5+ years in human factors, user research, design
• MA Psychology (Human Computer Interaction)
PATRICK NOONAN
PICKING THE RIGHT TOOL
3 SHORTCOMINGS OF MOBILE USABILITY
TESTING
Absence
of Context
Task
Selection
Learnability
CASE STUDY
THE PROBLEMMobile phone manufacturer approached Akendi seeking
insights on the release of their new device.
Wow
OUR APPROACH13 new owners of the phone had their experience tracked
for the first 2 weeks of ownership
FOLLOW-UP4 months after the initial study, we were able to contact
our 13 user again for follow-up interviews
RESULTS• Accidental Discovery
• The Social Environment
• Laptop Replacements
• Show-Off Features
• Out of Box
WHAT WE LEARNED
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT OUTSIDE THE LAB
ASSUMPTIONS CAN BE FLAWED
THE EXPERIENCE IS ONGOING
CLIENT ENGAGEMENT IS PART OF THE JOB
ENSURE THE RESEARCH QUESTION IS WELL
DEFINED
THANK YOU!