Getting into Context Early: A comparative study of laboratory and in-context user testing of low fidelity information appliance prototypes
Author
Woolley, Alex
Loudon, Gareth
Gill, Steve
Hare, Joanna
Date
2013-04-28Type
Article
Publisher
Routledge
ISSN
1460-6925
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
For designers developing information appliances, bringing together the physical and digital elements of a product early in the design process presents a prototyping challenge. Whilst prototyping methods have been developed to address this need, these methods have so far only been evaluated using laboratory-based testing approaches. This paper argues that testing in-context should also be supported by prototyping methods, and presents the findings of a comparative study between a laboratory and in-context user test of early information appliance prototypes. A key question was whether the type of ‘rough and ready’ prototypes frequently found in user laboratory setting might, with some careful development, be suitable for in-context testing.
The results of the study show that in-context and laboratory testing of early, ‘rough and ready’ prototypes uncovered different usability problems. In this study, in-context testing of prototypes uncovered problems with physical inputs and product format not seen in the laboratory environment. In contrast, the increased opportunities for spontaneous user reflection during laboratory testing provided insights into user expectations of functionality not seen during in-context testing.
Journal/conference proceeding
Design Journal;
Citation
Woolley, A., Loudon, G. and Gill, S. (2013) ‘Getting into Context Early: A comparative study of laboratory and in-context user testing of low fidelity information appliance prototypes’ in Design Journal, 16 (4), pp.460-485
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Contextual testing of interactive prototypes at the early stages of the design process
Woolley, Alex (University of Wales, 2008)Information appliances combine bespoke hardware with custom interfaces. This presents a challenge when prototyping early in the design process, as it can be difficult to combine both the digital and physical elements of ... -
Framework for Information Ergonomics in Industrial Design education: Application of a dynamic rapid prototyping method
Nam, Tek Jin (International Council of Soceties of Industrial Design, 2001)As more products become computer-embedded, industrial designers increasingly need to consider the interface in addition to the hardware. Since traditional design processes and techniques largely focus on hardware aspects, ... -
Framework for Information Ergonomics in Industrial Design education: Application of a dynamic rapid prototyping method
Tek, Jin Nam; Gill, Steve (2001)As more products become computer-embedded, industrial designers increasingly need to consider the interface in addition to the hardware. Since traditional design processes and techniques largely focus on hardware aspects, ...