# Presentation: 347919

## Mobile User ResearchNVAC ConsortiumMobile Analytics PanelOctober 5, 2006

- Colleen Page
- Integral Usability

## Outline

- What is mobile work?
- Mobile device considerations
- Mobile work environment
- Accessibility issues
- Design strategies
- Small screen usability issues
- User research methods
- Usability testing strategies

## What is mobile work?

- Is it all of the work that takes place away from the office?
- Anytime anywhere a decision maker can be contacted is a mobile work location/situation.
- Work life and personal life are interwoven.
- Emergencies happen during personal time, travel time, offsite work.
- People need to make decisions to resolve crises wherever they are.
- People need information in order to make informed decisions.

## Mobile Device Considerations

- What types of devices best support the mobile activity?
- Feature set
- Screen size
- Input mechanism
- Portability
- Fast, easy access
- Reliable connectivity

## Mobile Work Environment

- What are the mobile work situations and environments?
- Sitting, standing, walking?
- Are two hands available for input?
- Not if user is standing, moving, and carrying other items.
- Are there variations in light?  i.e. bright sunlight
- Does user wear gloves or protective gear?
- Is verbalization and audio output appropriate?

## Accessibility Issues

- Small screen displays are difficult for visually impaired and many older people to read.
- Input devices are difficult for some people to use.
- Tiny keys, toggle keys, notebook scroll pads, buttons on sides of devices have error potential for:
- people with limited hand movement
- anyone with a tremor
- people wearing gloves

## Design Strategies

- Design content to render optimally on different devices.
- Design graphical objects to be consistent and recognizable between devices.
- Colors render consistently on different devices, are recognizable in small format.
- Shapes are meaningful in large format, recognizable in small format.
- Distill text to summary format for small devices.
- Summarize in context with user’s role.

## Small Screen Usability Issues

- Users can get lost if they have to scroll down or sideways on a small screen.
- Consistent title headers are helpful markers.
- Graphics and content must be scaled to display optimally on small screen.
- Smaller version of recognizable graphic is good.
- Scrolling across a full size graphic is bad.
- Frames are bad.

## User Research Methods

- How do we identify work activities, environments, and situations?
- Structured interviews
- Contextual field studies
- How do we design for the actual work?
- Market segmentation -> personas
- Participatory design
- Usability tests during design and development cycle.

## Usability Testing Strategies

- Usability test with different screen sizes, input devices.
- Test text readability on small devices
- Test recognition and meaning of graphical objects.
- Compare 	comprehension on small device with PC.
- Compare summary on small device with full text on PC.
- Test navigation through info on small device.
- Design lab tests in context of typical work situations.
- Test some tasks with instruction to stand, sit, move, hold device as the user would in real life.

## Contact Info

- Colleen PageIntegral Usability, LLC
- phone: 425.485.6301
- email: colleenp@integralusability.com