# Usability Testing of Mobile Applications:
## 4 Methodological Framework for Mobile Usability Testing
### Research Settings for Usability Testing of Mobile Applications
#### 4.1.1 Laboratory Studies  
The Usability Laboratory is an environment in which researchers are able to study and evaluate the usability of software products. One of the key requirements concerns comfortable conditions, which means the ability to provide sufficient physical space to accommodate a wide variety of study types, from those involving single users to those involving groups of collaborating users. The most favorable configuration is two separate rooms, with the first dedicated to a user and the second to a researcher.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l} \hline \hline
**Code** & **Metric** & **Scale** \\ \hline SATII & I think I made the correct decision to use the \(X\) mobile & \\  & application [52] & \\ \hline SATI2 & My experience using \(X\) mobile app has been satisfactory [53] & 7-point Likert scale \\ \hline SATI3 & I am satisfied with the quality of \(X\)[54] & \\ \hline \(X\) is the name of the mobile application being evaluated. & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 6: The perceived satisfaction metrics.  
Typically, a user testing laboratory is equipped with hardware equipment that includes, as a minimum configuration, the following items:  
* a desk and chair, used by a user during application testing;
* document camera, a real-time image capture device, responsible for video recording;
* microphone, an external device that enables audio recording;
* video camera, a optical instrument that allows real-time observation of the user;
* a computer system unit (PC), optionally equipped with a keyboard, mouse, and external monitor, used to store session recordings; alternatively, a laptop computer may be used as an efficient substitute.  
The observation room should generally be the same size or larger than the test laboratory, and should accommodate at least two observers at a time. A typical equipment configuration involves items such as  
* monitor, used to view a user performing tasks;
* microphone, as a means of communication with a user;
* office equipment, necessary to ensure comfortable working conditions.  
On the other hand, these two rooms can be integrated into a single laboratory shared by the user and the researcher. A studio of this kind is also suitable for carrying out usability tests and user surveys, provided that there is sufficient space and comfort for at least two persons (adults) at a time.  
Two different evaluation approaches can be distinguished [64]:  
* laboratory-based testing by using a computer-based mobile device emulator;
* laboratory-based testing by using a mobile device (smartphone or tablet).  
By its very nature, usability testing places a strong emphasis on the solution of tasks or the achievement of goals by the specified users with the use of a product (system) in a given context [65]. It should be noted at this point that the role of context should not be underestimated [66]. Thus, using a mobile application emulator in the lab does not provide equivalent input capabilities to a real mobile device. In addition, the ability to emulate the context is limited. As a result, neither task performance nor context awareness appear to be measurable factors when testing mobile applications by using desktop simulators. Nevertheless, they could be reasonable choices for app prototyping.  
For the reader interested in setting up a new laboratory, [PERSON] et al. [67] provide an in-depth analysis of infrastructure and hardware equipment. In particular, the authors consider and describe the different designs and setups, as well as the factors affecting their effectiveness and efficiency.