Mobile Usability

Jeff WisniewskiWeb Services LibrarianUniversity of Pittsburgh

facebook.com/wisniewski.jeff

Mobile Devices Harbor More Germs Than A Men's Room Flush Handle

-http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/14/3103164/talk-about-going-

viral-touch-screen.html

Usability

The study of the relative ease with which a user can complete a given task

Do it right

GuidelinesManufacturerW3C

Check your assumptions at the door

Mobile space is not a minified desktop

Less immersive than desktop

Context critical

Microinteractions versus tasks

Desktop sitesWide

Deep

Complex

Infrequent use

Stable

mouse, keyboard, display 800x600 or better

Mobile sites

Simple

Slim

Deep, drill down

VERY infrequent use

Device proliferation

It should be difficult or impossible to get lost lost on a mobile site or in an app

Card sort?

What to test?

Functional testing critical

Task testing important

User satisfaction

Mobile is different

Duh!

mobile users

Immediate need for information

context is king

Analogy time…travelDesktop:

Search for flights

Search for hotel

Book

Mobile:

Itinerary

Flight status

Confirmation

If mobile is different

Then mobile usability testing needs to be different too

Layers

Hardware

Software

UI

HardwareInput mechanisms

physical keyboard

virtual keyboard

touch

voice

Scrolling/navigation

touch

trackball/pad

keys

Software

Device OS

Device browser

Device categoriesTouch-Screen Mobile Phones (Apple

iPhones, HTC Nexus One, HTC EVO, etc.)

Non Touch-Screen Mobile Phones (RIM Blackberry Bold, Motorola Droid 2, etc.)

Quick Messaging Devices (LG Xenon, Samsung Intensity, etc.)

Tablets (Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Dell Streak, etc.)

Testing methodsHeuristic evaluation

Paper

Simulators/emulators/ desktop

On deviceFieldLab…sleds and cameras and capture, oh

my!

Testing methodsMethod Time Cost ROI

Paper moderate minimal high

Desktop/emulator/simulator

moderate minimal high

Lab high varies high

Field high minimal unclear, probably high

Low techPaper prototypes

http://interactivelogic.net/wp/2009/09/iphone-wireframe-templates/

http://gliderguns.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/android_wireframe_templates3.pdf

Html prototypingDesktop

Mobile device

Emulate, simulate Firefox user agent switcher

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/

Opera Mini http://www.opera.com/mobile/demo/

Blackberry http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/resources/simul

ators.jsp

iOS SDK http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action

Android SDK http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Fennec emulator http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/mobile/download/

It’s not you…

Caveat: The platform affects the usability

Field testing

“Results indicate that conducting a time-consuming field test may not be worthwhile when searching user interface flaws to improve user interaction”

-Anne Kaikkonen, Aki Kekäläinen, Mihael Cankar, Titti Kallio, and Anu Kankainen

Journal of Usability Studies, Issue 1, Volume 1

Field testing redux

“In the field-based evaluation we identified significantly more usability problems and this setting revealed problems with interaction style and cognitive load that were not identified in the laboratory.”

It’s Worth the Hassle! The Added Value of Evaluating the Usability of Mobile Systems in the Field -Christian Monrad

Nielsen, Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction; Vol. 189

Near field advantage

I’m guessing many of your colleagues and friends have smartphones….test with them first!

Especially useful for basic functional testing

Functional testingMobile OK Checker

http://validator.w3.org/mobile/

MobiReady http://ready.mobi/launch.jsp?locale=en_EN

Lab testing

Simulated

Actual device(s)

Lab equipmentCam

Sled ?

Plusses and minuses

Automated testing toolsBrowsercam

http://www.browsercam.com/Default2.aspx

Deviceanywhere http://www.deviceanywhere.com/mobile-application-testing-web.html

Subjectively yoursUser satisfaction

Questions & discussion

THANK YOU

ResourcesA Guide to Usability Testing an iPhone

app http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article6496.asp

10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices http://sixrevisions.com/tools/10-excellent-tools-for-testing-your-site-on-mobile-devices/#more-4121

ResourcesUI guidelines

iPhone http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/userexperience/conceptual/mobilehig/Introduction/Introduction.html

iPad http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/general/conceptual/ipadhig/Introduction/Introduction.html

Android http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/index.html

Blackberry http://docs.blackberry.com/en/developers/deliverables/17965/index.jsp?name=UI+Guidelines+-+BlackBerry+Smartphones6.0&language=English&userType=21&category=Java+Development+Guidelines&subCategory=

Resources Emulators/simulators

Firefox user agent switcher https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/

Opera Mini http://www.opera.com/mobile/demo/

Blackberry http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/resources/simulators

.jsp

iOS SDK http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios/index.action

Android SDK http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Fennec emulator http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/mobile/download/

ResourcesAutomated testing tools

Browsercam http://www.browsercam.com/Default2.aspx

Deviceanywhere http://www.deviceanywhere.com/mobile-application-testing-web.html