Presentation at the World Usability Day 2010, Michigan State University

1. The Art of Mobile User
Experience Research
Kris Mihalic, PhD
World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic 1

2. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic 2

3. art1
[ahrt]
–noun
1. The quality, production, expression, or realm,
according to aesthetic principles, of what is
beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary
significance.
2. The principles or methods governing any
craft or branch of learning.
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4. Understanding Humans
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5. Market Research
Opinions, Quantitative
Focus groups
Surveys
Preference interviews
Brand awareness/effectiveness
Concept testing
Ideation
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6. User Experience Research
Behaviors, Qualitative
Ethnography
Card sorting
Usability evaluation
Task elicitations
Cognitive walkthroughs
Field studies
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7. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Academic
Research
Corporate
Research
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8. Mobile UX Methods
Quick and Dirty
Lab Studies
Field Studies
Inspections (Cognitive Walkthrough)
On-Device Surveys (+Behavioral Tracking)
Quantitative Behavioral Analysis
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9. 3 Pillars of Mobile UX
Research
Speed
Speed
Speed
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10. 3 Pillars of Mobile UX
Research
Speed
Flexibility
Context
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11. 1. Speed of Execution
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flickr.com/warloofer

12. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Online
Social
Game
1 week
Web
Browser
3 months
Wireless
Phone
6-18
months
Automotiv
e
5 years
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13. Speed of Prototyping
Paper Prototypes
Touch-screen Systems
Competitor Devices
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14. Speed of Recruiting
Internal
Panels
Developer Ecosystem
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15. Speed of Delivering Results
Quick Findings
Engaging Stakeholders
Remote Viewing
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16. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Example
Sharpie Movies
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17. Example
QtQuick/QML
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18. How to achieve speed?
Become BFF with Engineers and
Designers
Invest in mobile prototyping tools
Focus on rapid iterations
Live the 80-20 rule
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19. 2. Flexibility
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flickr.com/melanieandjohn

20. Fragmentation of Devices
Platforms
Interaction
Hardware
Carriers and Costs
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21. (Failing) Environment
Reception
Facilities
Culture
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22. Example
Device “Prototyping”
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23. How to deal with flexibility?
Focus on the most important
platform(s)
Be prepared and informed
Create strategic constraints
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24. 3. Context
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25. Contextual factors
Timing Within the Cycle
Context of Use vs. Context of
Research
Support and Vendors
Everyone’s an Expert
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26. Example
Video Diaries
More at www.qualvu.com/clients/yahoo-three-country-plan
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27. How to be contextually-
aware?
Understand team and business
practices
Know your users
Choose your partners in crime
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28. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
William.
Wanna-have-all-done-yesterday boss
extraordinaire, golf aficionado.
28

29. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Edgar.
Usability specialist, UX researcher, prototyper,
Stratocaster jammer.
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30. When is mobile research
EASY?
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31. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Yo, Edgar!
We need to figure out how
efficient people are using our
mobile product compared to
the competition?
William.
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32. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Ok, boss.
Let’s invite 16 target users into
the lab and observe them use
our product as well as products
of two top competitors. We’ll
measure success rates, time,
and errors and compare.
Edgar.
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33. When is mobile research
HARD?
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34. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Hey, Edgar!
How do people use mobile
phones to search for information
and what kind of content are they
looking for? How well does our
product fulfill their needs?
William.
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35. World Usability Day 2010, Michigan - Kris Mihalic
Hmm, ok. I’m up for a
challenge!
How about we do a one-month
field study with 10 users using
daily reporting via voicemails,
SMS mini-surveys, and mobile
photos? We’ll do pre-, midpoint-
, and final interviews with each
participants as well.
Edgar.
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36. ROI of UX Research
Optimize for the “sweet spot”
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37. mobile ux research1
[moh-buhl yoo eks ree-surch]
–noun
1. The art of selecting the right methods,
skillfully combining or adapting them while
adhering to time and resource constraints with the
goal of supporting and driving business decisions.
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38. Kris Mihalic, PhD
Nokia
@suikris
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flickr.com/hryckowian