Usability and Mobile Applications

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Usability and Mobile Applications

• Human Mobile Interaction (HMI)
• and the bigger picture

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Today

• Usability (for PCs and the Web)
• Usability for Mobiles (HMI)
• The bigger picture (Sociology of mobility)
• Usability testing methodology for your projects
  (structured and/or informal)
• Reporting findings in your presentations

3
Admin

• Apologies about lecture confusion last week
• Questions on progress what do you need?
• J2ME materials to come online soon

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PC based vs. Mobile-based

• Usability guidelines for the Web and for PC
  software are fairly well established (although
  still subject to negotiation and change)
• Mobile guidelines are becoming defined but
  changing more rapidly
• Key Differences input, output, capacity and
  context

5
Rate the following in order of importance, for
what you would like to see in a Website

• The site should look beautiful and have amazing
  looking designs and graphics
• The site should be really easy to use and be
  arranged logically in terms of navigation
  (usability)
• The site should contain the information or
  entertainment that I am drawn to (content)
• The site should be well marketed offline and
  online, with a brand that I recognise and trust,
  and it must feel secure

6
Content is King the same for mobiles?

• But for a mobile this means appropriately
  formatted and constructed (usually bite-size)
  content
• Quick access to core functionality the rest is
  costly in time and irritating to the user (see -
  National Rail, Facebook and BBC News mobile
  versions)
• Simplicity" in use is NOT the same thing as not
  doing any work in design!

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Rapid prototyping - Design method

• The aim of rapid prototyping is to determine
  usability before the expensive manufacturing
  stage. Even simple mechanisms may not be usable,
  contrary to common belief.
• Software used in prototyping included programs as
  freely available as PowerPoint and equipment as
  easily available as paper deliberately low-tech
  solutions.
• Social issues for example are still not
  considered during the design phase of electronic
  devices. Consider the train Lock button, on a
  train it needs to provide an audio signal that
  it is functioning.
• Consider the push/pull signs on doors. If you
  pull when it says push, this is bad design rather
  than your mistake (why should a push door have a
  handle to pull?).
• Its important to ferret out user problems
  during the design phase.

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XHTML MP Usability

• http//www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/7f
  3f1424-b51e-4067-a3ef-acaab08e484f/XHTML_Guideline
  s_For_Creating_Web_Content_v1_3_en.pdf.html
• Guidelines are also very useful for non Web-based
  projects
• For games substitute the word - Playability

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In general usable applications

• Do not include too much on any navigation screen
• Minimise load times
• Stick to core functionality
• Enable complex procedures to take place on
  servers and produce simple results
• Take advantage of mobility and location
• Sometimes work in conjunction with Web apps

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Text input

• A big obstacle one that cannot be ignored
  MINIMISE IT
• The preponderance of buttons as an interface
  mechanism exists because of the fact that buttons
  are the easiest way to trigger and electronic
  response.
• With the recent (supposed) increased focus on the
  user (user centred design etc), this may change.

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Evaluate www.bbc.co.uk/mobile

• Type the above URL into the mobile browser.
• Spend 5-10 browsing the site and evaluating out
  of 10
• Usability (navigation, simplicity etc.)
• Design (attractiveness)
• Content
• Sophistication
• Justify your answers.
• Is there anything you can learn from this process
  in relation to the usablity of your own project?

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A Project in progress

• http//mobilitystudies.com/ami/
• Would be interesting to know your thoughts
• Possible project contributions to the project?
• Learning language and culture through the phone

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Social impact mobile devices

• Creativity (take a photo, decoration, ring-tones,
  SMS haikus and social creativity)
• Mobility (communicate on-the-go, media
  consumption and production on-the-go, extension
  of the human, GPS etc)
• Performance (girl alone in a bar, surrounded by
  people you dont know, a DJ. The projected
  presence of someone who is absent and lacks
  contextual awareness about the receiver. A
  Nation of Ghosts? Choreography of Mobile
  Communication in Public Spaces (James E. Katz).

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Usability Testing your applications

• A qualitative approach
• Focus group / observation
• Quantitative methods dont seem practical for
  small-scale projects, but a well designed
  questionnaire to focus on a specific area may be
  appropriate
• The important thing is intelligent analysis of
  the information you gather

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Do A FOCUS GROUP

• Small group of people
• Observe IN CONTEXT if possible
• Record results
• Feel free to do more formal testing also (e.g.
  Questionnaires but the effectiveness of these
  is limited by your methodology)

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Observation advice

• It would be nice if your application could be
  tested on a mobile phone (if not possible attempt
  to use several emulators)
• When users are testing your application you
  should not initially prompt them on certain usage
  matters.
• For example if you point out that you can
  navigate by scrolling down the page, you have
  influenced unduly their interaction with the
  application therefore contaminating the
  sample. They might have worked it out, them
  might not have either way their reactions to
  the application should tell you something about
  it rather than you telling them about it!
• Question the user about their experience see
  what they liked and disliked.

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Testing hints

• Usability of the emulator vs. the usability of
  the phone (Dont input letters by default for a
  number screen and remember its a phone!)
• Technical friends to test on can sometimes be a
  problem e.g. they draw your attention to an
  issue in the database, this is useful for
  technical testing, but not for USER testing. Non
  technical users are the most useful for Usability
  testing.

18
Thoughts on cultures of phone use

• Swiss army phone?
• Culture/Interface often features are removed
  for a western audience
• How do we explain the popular take-up of bad
  interfaces?

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General Feedback on Projects from last year

• Some strong on technical complexity
• Others rather simple and rushed
• Generally poor usability design
• The simple things ignored
• Many scored highly on Technical Sophistication
• English grammar not checked (a great hindrance to
  usability)

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Continued

• Stronger projects had been tested on a variety of
  SDKs and Devices
• Focussed on usability as well as technology
• Advice Re-think the user in context

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Presentations

• User feedback and evaluation tended to be the
  weakest areas
• Usability weaknesses not picked up on
• Tended to focus on general (e.g. should have
  more colour and blaming technology instead of
  implementation)
• Tendency to describe project rather than its
  production