Apps and Equipments for Spot Mobile App Usability Testing in Singapore

Spot testing in the lab is by far the way to do mobile usability testing. Compared to PC usability testing, mobile app usability testing poses challenges on how to effectively observe and document user behaviour.

On the one hand, important issues may be missed due to the smaller screen size of the mobile device and the difficulty of the host to directly view the subject’s mobile device screen. For the recorder and other observers, the subject’s screen is less likely to be directly and clearly observed. On the other hand, unlike the PC Internet era, which uses mouse and keyboard interaction, in the era of mobile Internet, users interact with the touch screen through gestures. The test not only records interface behavior but also records user gestures. It is also preferable to synchronously record user emoticons and voice. So, for mobile usability testing, we need to find new observations, recordings, and tools.

Spot mobility usability testing tools need to solve three problems:

• Extend the mobile device screen for easy site observation
• Record screen and user gestures
• Record user emoticons and sounds

Through the study of the mainstream methods, as well as the exploration of third-party App, we have organized the following tools:

• QuickTime (iOS) — Live View, record only screen
• Mobizen (Android) — Live View, record screen, gestures
• Display Recorder (iOS) — Record screen, gesture, sound
• SCR (Android) — Record screen, gestures, emoticons, sounds
• Magitest (iOS) — Record screen, gestures, emoticons, sounds
• Mobizen + AirDroid (Android) — Watch and record gestures, emoticons and sounds live
• Fixed camera / camera solution
• Sledding solution

1. QuickTime (iOS) — Live View, record only screen

For the field test, we must first solve the problem of multi-person observation. Through the mirror class App, the phone screen synchronization to the PC / Mac screen, you can easily multi-site observation and screen recording.

Before the iOS image solution is mainly reflector + Screen recording App. However, after Yosemite was released by Apple, the native QuickTime can support screen recording on the screen or the camera. iPhone need to upgrade to iOS8, and then through the data cable to connect with the Mac. Open QuickTime on your Mac and create a new movie, QuickTime activates the camera first. Then click the drop-down arrow next to the recording button, the camera source to test the iPhone, then the screen will appear mobile phone screen, you can record the iPhone screen. The Quicktime solution completely eliminates the need for a third-party App to complete mirroring and screen recording, and because of the system-level solution, the image is fluent. Even if the user’s mobile phone, as long as the upgrade iOS8, plug in the data cable can also be easily extended to the Mac for observation and screen recording.

QuickTime as Apple’s native solution, the operation is very simple. Whether using a unified test equipment, or user’s own equipment, are very convenient, only one data line. However, due to Apple’s restrictions, this solution can not observe and record the user’s gestures, recording expressions and sounds also need to use other devices, so generally only for iOS screen mirroring and observation.

2. Mobizen (Android) — live observation, recording screen, gestures

On the Android platform, many mobile assistant apps that support mobile screen mirroring to PC / Mac, such as pea pods, 91 mobile phone assistants and so on. However, we actually test down and found that mobile assistant screen image speed is very urgent, delayed more powerful, but also the case of Caton.

After the actual test comparison, we recommend using Mobizen as a screen image solution on the Android platform. This program, you need to install Mobizen for Android, and PC / Mac client Mobizen. Then the phone and PC / Mac connected through the data cable, select the “USB connection” mode mirror screen, the basic delay. The figure below is the interface of Mobizen and the mirror effect on Mac. In addition, the mobile phone simulator of Mobizen rotates synchronously when switching to the horizontal screen application. This detail is very friendly. (On the other hand, Mobizen has a bug that makes the password too complicated to suggest the account does not exist.)

In contrast to QuickTime solutions, Mobizen can also be used for both unified test equipment and user equipment. But in the user’s own device to do the test, you need to pre-installed in the user’s mobile phone Mobizen App. In addition, the Android platform has an iOS platform does not have the advantage that gestures can be displayed. In the Android System Settings — Developer Options, open the “Show touch operation” button.

3. Display Recorder (iOS) — Record screen, gesture, sound

Recording mobile device gestures is very important for mobile usability tests, such as a swipe gesture the user tried on the screen, or the user clicked on a button ten times but did not respond. By recording user gesture information, these scenes can be effectively recorded and restored by us.

Due to Apple’s system limitations, any App can not record user gestures. The only solution is jailbreak. After jailbreak, find a plug-in called Display Recorder, installed it will be able to record the screen and gestures. Although the jailbreak plug-in, but the Display Recorder experience is excellent, the latest version has been updated to support iOS8.

After recording the screen, the video will be saved on the phone and need to be exported from the phone. If you do not want to export after recording on the iPhone, you can also choose Display Recorder + QuickTime solution, together with the camera, microphone on the PC / Mac to record the user’s expression and sound.

The biggest limitation of this solution is that you must use a unified test equipment, because it is unlikely to hold the user’s iPhone to jailbreak.

4. SCR (Android) — record screen, gestures, expressions, sounds

If you can record the screen at the same time, gestures, expressions and sounds, and does not depend on the hardware, then it is a wonderful thing. All mobile phones come with front camera and microphone. Therefore, if the front camera can simultaneously record the user’s expression, is not to solve this problem? With this in mind, we looked at the screen recording app on Android.

There are many screen recording apps on Android. After actual testing and comparison, we recommend using SCR. In addition to regular screen recording function, SCR also supports the phone front camera (Figure below). In this way, the recording screen, you can also record the user’s facial expression simultaneously. Before starting recording, the position of the front camera can also be dragged and dropped to the location you want, but once you start recording, you can not change its position anymore.

SCR more comprehensive solution to record the user’s screen, gestures, facial expressions and sound problems, the final output of the video quality is also high. But there is a flaw, the front camera picture cannot be hidden. Although you can adjust the transparency, but always block the screen. As a result, users are clearly aware that they are being shot.

When using SCR, to solve the problem of multi-site observation, need to be used together with Mobizen. In addition, in the process of using the screen recording App, pay attention to the phone’s battery power and the remaining memory space. In the actual testing process, we found that screen recording App is more power consumption, and recording a 30-minute video will be a space, once the space is full, App is very error-prone.

5. Magitest (iOS) — Record screen, gestures, emoticons, sounds

SCR is a solution on Android, is there a similar solution on iOS? After research, we found two apps: UX Recorder and Magitest. UX Recorder can only be used for mobile Web testing, the main analysis here Magitest this App.

Magitest can support the test of the App, which is a clear advantage over competing products. However, as mentioned above, Apple does not support third-party App access to gesture information directly. The way Magitest implements the gesture is to embed code into the publisher. However, one of the pitfalls is that Magitest can not be used for early prototype testing of the project, resulting in a greatly reduced application of this tool.

Magitest will eventually put the screen recording and front camera picture record into a video result, so you can see the user’s facial expression and interface changes. Before starting the test, you can set which one of the four corners of the screen to place the front camera picture on. As shown below, front camera selected Bottom Right, front camera captured user emoticons will appear in the video in the lower right corner of the interface. Compared to SCRs, Magitest is an app designed specifically for testing, so it does not show the front camera’s image when it’s time to test (but it also raises a problem, as you’ll see below). We introduced the screenshot from the App Store down for your reference, the left is the initial settings interface, you can choose the location of the front camera screen; the right is the last recorded video interface, can see gestures and user expressions.

Disadvantages of Magitest. SCR logic is the front of the camera directly to the picture displayed on the phone, and then recorded together; and Matigest does not show the front camera screen, so it should realize the logic of two separate video recording, and finally fight together. This will bring the following two problems, one will be in the testing process feel cell phone delay, the second is the end of the test there will be a video generation process (should be in the two video segment), the process is very slow, or even In the process of the situation can not be completed.

In addition, as mentioned above, Magitest uses only a single test device for its tests on the App, and because it requires inline code, it can not be used for early prototyping. In general, the limitations of using Magitest for mobile usability testing are numerous and the program is less stable.

6. Mobizen + AirDroid (Android) — Watch and record gestures, emoticons and sounds on the spot

SCR solution described above, there is still a small flaw, that is, the picture taken by the front camera will be displayed on the handheld screen. On the Android platform, is it possible to use the Mobizen mirror screen and gestures, and then use another program to remotely observe the front camera, and finally recorded on the PC / Mac?

After doing a lot of looking at the monitoring App, but after no avail, unexpected discovery AirDroid this mobile assistant tool, in its Web version can actually call the phone camera remotely.

The picture below is on the Mac, Nexus 5 using Mobizen and AirDroid record front camera and screen mirror effect. With AirDroid Mac and Nexus 5 in the same Wifi case, the front camera with almost no delay. The two screens will be rotated when the user horizontal screen. At this point, the user is also completely aware of what is being recorded.

In addition, when testing Mobizen + AirDroid, we also recorded a short video

AirDroid as a mobile phone assistant tool itself can also mirror the screen and gestures. However, because the current version only supports Wifi-based connections, mirror synchronization is not as fast as Mobizen. When we tested, we also tried AirDroid Web Edition monitoring front camera + AirDroid client version to mirror the mobile phone screen solution, but because both are to take the Wifi connection, so compared to the card, there is a clear delay, as AirDroid + Mobizen solution The plan is good.

7. Use fixed camera / camera record

Most of the solutions of App tools above are required to make App pre-installed and debugged on the mobile phone, which is more suitable for the testing of unified equipment. If we want to test the user’s own phone, it may be more appropriate camera solution.

Using the camera / camera, you can capture both the mobile device screen and the user’s gestures at the same time, fully recording the subjects’ actual operation. Moreover, it can also be directly integrated with the test and observation software on the desktop, such as Morae. It can support two camera inputs simultaneously, one for user’s operation and the other for user’s facial expression. In this way, even the observers in the observation room can see the whole testing process in real time.

The camera / camera here, we mean the Document Camera or the Webcam with built-in software to process the recording in real time. At this point, the camera / camera position is relatively fixed, the mobile device screen is placed in the camera’s visual range for testing.

This form of device allows direct use of a physical camera with a flexible stand, such as Ipevo. In-camera cameras are lightweight, have a high resolution, and integrate well with desktop software, but the in-house camera was originally designed for documenting and thus has lower frames per second. It is also possible to make such a device by ourselves. We recommend using a base that can adjust the orientation of the camera, such as a small tripod with a pan / tilt head or any other base with a rocker arm. In our practical work, we also tried to use the base of the work desk lamp to fix the camera in a place originally installed in the light bulb.

However, the base of the camera is fixed, and the subject is required to relatively move the screen position during testing. Once the position of the screen of the mobile device is changed in angle, direction, or accidentally beyond the visual range of the camera, the recording effect will be greatly affected influences. If you adjust the camera position, it takes another time to adjust the corresponding mobile screen position. Therefore, such a device may be relatively effective in testing products on a tablet device, and the user would have generally operated the tablet device on a desktop. However, for smartphones, users are more accustomed to hand-held operation, the process may move and shaking situation, when the sled device described below may be more effective.

8. Sledging device records

In addition to recording the position of the fixed lens, the other is to use the camera / camera on a hand-held stand and the mobile device on a stand for testing. The unit is also known as a sled and is also commonly known as a “sled “.

Sledding device available on the market can be purchased directly, such as the MOD1000. In fact, many researchers use their own sleigh device for testing. There are a few things to keep in mind when making your own sleigh ride:

• Sleds must be light enough to allow users to test with their mobile devices in their hands.
• Do not allow the sled to block the device screen, interfering with user testing.
• Sled size should be able to adapt to a variety of mainstream devices, to facilitate the subjects through their own equipment for testing. Ideally, the sled’s shape and size should be adjustable.
• The sled’s shape should allow the user to turn the screen orientation of the device.
• The overall sleigh should be strong enough.

In the selection of the external camera, in addition to consider the camera’s own image quality, but also need to consider the weight of the camera, and whether it is easy to install on the sled device. Some researchers recommend Hue’s HD webcam, which is lightweight, good resolution, and has enough frames per second, with an adjustable hose bracket.

There are some downsides to sledges. First of all, the sleigh device has a certain weight, the user may feel unaccustomed, unnatural, the user holding a certain time, it is very easy to fatigue, not very good user experience, so the device is placed on the desktop for testing. Second, the picture quality is not as good as the physical camera.

Spot mobile test tool summary

• Display Recorder + QuickTime, recording gestures on iOS must be jailbroken, so you can only use the unified test equipment to do the test. Use Display Recorder display gestures, with the camera and microphone recording user emoticons and sounds, and finally recorded screen.
• Magitest program looks beautiful, but the actual use of the limitations and problems are more, more like an exploratory solution.
• Mobizen + SCR, pre-installed low difficulty, high video quality, the defect lies in the front camera screen on the phone screen is blocked, the user is photographed with perception, after the need to export video.
• Mobizen + AirDroid, is a perfect solution, just a data line, the user is also not perceived. But if you use the user’s own equipment to do the test, there is the cost of installing App and debugging.
• Camera (sledge) can be applied to all scenes, but the disadvantage is the difficulty of hardware installation, as well as to the user the psychological pressure.

From a mobile app usability testing tool’s point of view, the lowest cost to implement a unified test device, especially on the Android platform. Finally, give our best practices for mobile site usability testing.

see more: https://medium.com/@ysfqwe1/user-experience-company-in-singapore-e025961a621a