Mobile & Handheld Usability Testing

Today’s mobile and handheld devices are multi-functional devices capable of hosting a broad range of applications for both business and consumer use.

Mobile usability testing lets you see how real users do real tasks in the real world and whether or not your mobile phone application or website is used in the way you intended.

Benefits of this service

Mobile usability testing leads to an improved product and a better understanding of the users that you are designing for, whether this is an iPhone application, a mobile web application or an iPad app we can help you test and get the best result for your product.

Advantages

• We can help advise on which handsets and platforms to test on
• We have several high end testing devices for observing respondents using mobile phones and hand-held devices including an Elmo TT-02RX and a Tracksys Noldus
• Our portable testing kit means we can set up research anywhere including the users' home or place of work

Disadvantages

• Can take time to setup if testing outdoors
• They are usually only possible to undertake with a small sample of potential users
• The data can be fairly complex and time consuming to analyse

The approach

We follow industry best practice and international standards on usability and we agree with you in advance detailed test plans and task lists. We use experienced testers who are familiar with a range of products and systems.

The process

We recruit a representative sample of your audience. These participants are asked to perform a series of tasks using their mobile phone or handheld device whilst the participants are observed and recorded.

During the usability testing participants are instructed to think aloud at all times. If they ever fall silent for more than a few seconds they're encouraged to keep talking. Our usability testers are expertly trained to ask questions and elicit thoughts in a non-biased and neutral manner. Afterwards participants are interviewed to gather further information about their experience.

The deliverables

We would typically look to deliver the following to your organisation as part of the usability testing that we run.

Usability Report - that describes the purpose of the study, a description of the procedures, a summary of the findings, and perhaps most important, the significant themes that emerged within and between testing sessions.

Video highlights - edited video clips of the most informative parts of the tests.

Presentation - an oral presentation communicating the most important findings and recommendations.

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