Contextual testing in the mobile phone design process: A case study

Abstract

Case study research presents an argument for conducting testing in the field to uncover system requirements by observing natural, unrestricted user behaviours. The case study with a Multinational Mobile phone manufacturer presented in this paper investigates both of these aspects of testing in-context, to highlight the different roles in-context testing with users plays in the design process and the challenges faced when implementing these approaches. This case study has highlighted some of the challenges faced when implementing testing in context. Contextual testing was seen to be an important quality measure in the development of products; however, it was difficult to integrate this approach early in the design process due to functional prototypes only being available at a very late stage.