UXD - Users and their tablet/smartphone usage

Research plan

Research questions

• What area of the back of a tablet can be useful for finger interaction while holding it up?
• What finger interaction is possible?

Existing literature

•      How users hold their mobile devices
• Info on:
• Observations in January 2013
• 1366 subjects encountered in public places in big US cities
• subjects with visible smartphone
• general behavior (calling, typing, listening, ...)
• RAW DATA - XLSX
• No info on:
• Exact activity, only obvious general behavior
• Total amount of encountered subjects
• No tablets, only smartphones (not identified specifically)
• Designing for Touch 
• Considerations for placing buttons and controls 
• Mobile Input Methods
• Types of keyboards
• Virtual data input methods
• Data types
• Mobile usability testing 
• Testing tool tips
• Interface prototyping idea
• Environment & context considerations
• Touch across devices
• T9 Development
• Design process of the T9 input method
• Qwerty keyboard as thé input method 
• Qwerty vs Touch / T9 / Voice 
• Handedness 
• Belgian Federal demografic factors 

Hypothesis

Assuming the target audience using a 7" or larger tablet in a seated position and in a mobile environment (not able to access regular laptop or desktop) with an active internet connection.

• There is a considerable and definable area on the back of a tablet device suitable for finger interaction.
• A user is able to push buttons and slide over a touch area in one direction with the index and middle finger and only push buttons with the ring and little finger.

Target audience

Audience criteria

Any user between the age of 20 and 50 who regularly uses or would use for some activity requiring substantial data input.

Criterion for frequency of substantial input: ever delaying tasks that could/can on a mobile device because the data input is too slow or cumbersome.

Since the product in development aims to improve efficiency of a device that helps performing all kinds of tasks, the study targets people who are at an age where both an active personal life and an active business or educational life is possible. Hence users users from 20 to 50 years old.

Audience spread

Amount of subjects: As read in the stated literature, valid user experience output requires at least 20 subjects. To be on the safe side, the goal is set on 30.

Age: The age criteria is divided into 6 groups of 5 years. An even spread requires 5 people in each group

Gender: Goal is a 50-50 ratio in the audience. So 15 males, 15 females.

Handedness: Globally, about 11% of the population is left-handed. This percentage should be represented at least in our audience. Let's aim for 5 to 10 left-handed persons, so that at least a valid 20 person right-handed group remains as well.

Education: Education level heavily influences the use of language, vocabulary, what will be typed on one hand, and the type of tasks that are performed on the mobile device. An even spread might procure different usage patterns among the education levels. The same classification is used as the Belgian federal government: Low, medium and high education (low: lower secondary education, medium: higher secondary education, high: higher education)

Out of scope

Ethnicity, physical (dis)ability

Data collection method

Semi-structured Interview / observation of simulated behavior

Data to be obtained:

• Permission
• To record
• Take pictures
• Mention first name
• User background
• First name
• Age
• Gender
• Handedness
• Education level
• Profession / current education
• Hobbies & other engagements
•  Study specific background
• Tablet owner + device type + ownership time
• Smartphone owner + device type + ownership time
• User persona (inexperienced, casual user, heavy facebooker/twitterer/instagrammer/... , connected businessman) - user opinion / own impression
•  Input load:
• amount of emails per day/week
• amount of text messages per day/week
• amount of web forms per day/week
• amount of search queries per day/week
• Behavior based data
• Current input method (demo on user device)
• which for which task (mail, txt, web form, search query)
• Qwerty/T9/Gesture based/external
• language - own dictionary
• predictive text 
• hold position (one handed L/R - cradled - two handed
•  Proposed input method (demo on own device)
• basic uninformed hold
• ready-to-use hold
• email typing hold
• text message hold
• web form hold
• search query hold
• fixed bottom hold
• fixed bottom reach area
• fixed bottom button reach and press

Approach

The first 3 parts of of the data (permissions, user background and study specific background) will be gathered by an open interview. The user is asked to introduce himself and is guided to tell about the needed items. Everything shall be recorded while taking notes on a precompiled sheet with a fixed area for each piece of information.

The behavior based data is obtained by letting the user demonstrate some predefined tasks. The different holds will be photographed if permitted. The reach area will be determined with a metal dome prototype which allows to check at what positions the user is still able to click a button.

Analysis method

Expected results