In this presentation we share our experience of a very interesting and challenging project, in which we developed a mobile couponing app for iPhone with the user-centered design method.
On one hand we show what we learned in the usability assessments about knowledge, mental models, expectations and users’ behaviour. Especially surprising were some insights on the usability of standard iPhone patterns recommended in the iOS human interface guidelines as well as how some users use their iPhone.
On the other hand, we give hands on tips for successful testing of mobile devices’ apps:
• How to build testable prototypes for mobile devices
• How to simulate an app with an HTML prototype
• Test setup, observation and recording on mobile devices
"Case Study: Mobile Couponing" or "What Users don't understand about their iPhone"
1. EuroIA 2012 - Roma
Case Study:
What we learned when developing a mobile couponing
application …
2. EuroIA 2012 - Roma
Case Study:
… or what users don‘t understand about their iPhone
3. > About Mobile Couponing
> User-Centered Design for Mobile
> The Mobile Couponing App
> What Users don’t understand about their iPhone
4. About Mobile Couponing
Couponing in General
> Stores and small business offer special deals to their
customers.
> The goals are diverse:
> Get customers into the store.
> (and sell them additional things, once they are inside the store).
> Fill less busy timeslots.
> Sell off products on stock.
6. About Mobile Couponing
Couponing in General
> Different kinds of coupons:
> Absolute discount (€ 50.-)
> Relative discount (15%)
> Different preconditions:
> Time limitations (e.g. only on Sundays)
> Only valid for specific products
> Only valid in specific stores
> Bound to a minimal purchase amount
> Only one coupon per person
7. About Mobile Couponing
YES, couponing does work (even in Switzerland)
> Study by Mediamarkt in Switzerland:
> Verifiable increase in sales after coupon campaigns.
> ROI of couponing campaigns are 50% higher than traditional marketing
campaigns .
> study based on SMS-couponing
> For App-based couponing costs about half compared to SMS-couponing.
> Feedbacks from interviews:
> Participants respond that they buy certain goods only when prices are
reduced.
> They do switch brand and stores due to coupons and offerings.
> They do even plan their shopping trips based on coupons available.
8. About Mobile Couponing
SIX Multipay in Switzerland
> SIX Multipay ist the leading payment
provider in Switzerland.
> Processes about 8 mio. card payments per
day.
> Terminals in most shops, restaurants ticket
machines etc.
10. About Mobile Couponing
How to cash a mobile coupon
> Start mobile application
> Scan list of available coupons
> Select one coupon
> Tap on «Cash coupon»
> Read coupon code on phone display
> Type Coupon Code in terminal
11. > About Mobile Couponing
> User-Centered Design for Mobile
> The Mobile Couponing App
> What Users don’t understand about their iPhone
14. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 1 – Rough Design/Scribbling (III)
> Scribbling on paper helpful for first iterations
> Very fast iterations to narrow down options
> Together with customer
> Together with implementation partner
> Good to agree on a basic concept
> E.g. application with tabbed navigation vs. application with dashboard
screen
15. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 2 - Prototyping
> Axure RP 5.5 HTML prototype
> Viewport tag properly set to
> Fullscreen (without Browser Controls)
Scroll down.
> Zoom locked Use two fingers.
> iOS dashboard bookmark to the
prototype
> Prototype limitations on iPhone
> 2 finger scrolling
> With new axure versions
not an issue anymore And now up again.
17. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 3 - Usability-Testing (I)
> 8 iPhone users (from expert to novice)
> Pretest interviews
> 10 tasks / scenarios
> Posttest interviews
> Push Notifications were sent during
usability test through
http://www.prowlapp.com/ 1
How to send push notifications see:
1 http://www.paessler.com/knowledgebase/en/topic/1693-how-can-i-send-push-notifications-from-prtg-to-iphones
http://www.macstories.net/reviews/my-weekend-with-prowl/
18. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 3 - The iPhone Mounted Webcam
> Meccano set and
USB-Webcam
> Perfect steadiness of
the video recording
> Even if iPhone in
participant’s hand
> Reduce display
brightness of mobile
phone
19. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 3 - Usability-Testing (II)
> AMCAP Cam Software
to stream webcam
Test participant video feed to test PC
with iPhone and
Webcam connected
to test PC
> PC with Techsmith
Morae for screen,
webcam feed and user
recording
21. User-Centered Design for Mobile
Phase 5 - Documentation
> Detailed specification document for
> Implementation Team
> Budget toll gate
22. > About Mobile Couponing
> User-Centered Design for Mobile
> The Mobile Couponing App
> What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
23. The Mobile Couponing App
The result
> Easy and quick coupons overview from
different providers in one single app
> Different paths to the coupons for
different use cases
> Personalization to increase relevance of
showed coupons
24. > About Mobile Couponing
> User-Centered Design for Mobile
> The Mobile Couponing App
> What Users don’t understand about their iPhone
25. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
iPhoneSwitzerland
> Marketshare of Apple in Swiss smartphone market
Don‘t know /
others
no answer
n=572
Source: www.comparis.ch, February 2012
26. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
iPhoneSwitzerland
> Age distribution of smartphone owners
n=1202
Source: www.comparis.ch, February 2012
27. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
iPhoneSwitzerland
28. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
iPhoneSwitzerland
> Switzerland has one of the largest iPhone populations
worldwide.
> Also less «experienced» users with iPhones.
29. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Tab Bar
> 2 participants, who bought an iPhone
short time before the test.
> They did not see the Tab Bar for quite a
long time.
30. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Segmented Controls (=Tab-bar 2nd Level)
> Version 1:
> Top of screen as suggested by Apple Human
Interface Guidelines
> Several participants did not see the
navigation
31. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Segmented Controls (=Tab-bar 2nd Level)
> Moving the segmented
controls to the bottom of
the screen improved its
visibility
> Law of proximity
> But it is harder to hit for
people with stubby fingers
32. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Back Button Issue (I)
> Application with a standard Apple Human Interface
Guidelines tabbar navigation
33. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Back Button Issue (II)
> Navigation back hierarchically works perfeclty fine
34. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Back Button Issue (III)
> As soon as the navigation is not hierarchical some users miss
a back button
Example 1 Example 2
35. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Back Button Issue (IV)
> Various participants were looking for a
back button more than once
> Some of the participants clicked the iPhone
Home-Button repeatedly
> and closed and restarted the application
36. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The Back Button Issue (V)
38. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Near Search
> «Nearby» was not used by 7 participants during the test.
> Participants did not have the mental model:
> That the device knows its geo location.
> And can pass it to the application in order to show content in a
location-specific way.
39. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Near Search
> Click path analysis
shows the same
picture.
> Only 6.5% of users use the
near search
40. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (I)
Source: Luke Wroblewski, http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1071
41. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (II)
Source: Luke Wroblewski, http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1071
42. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (III)
> The advantage of gestures:
> Gestures do improve the efficiecy of users.
> Gestures represent a very natural and intuitive way of interacting with
a system.
> The downside:
> Only some gestures are intuitive, others have to be learned.
> Gestures are hidden.
> Users don‘t know them and mostly only find out accidentially.
> Only users with a certain proficiency recognize gestures which they
discovered accidentially.
43. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (IV)
> Swipe gesture discloses delete
button
> No participant knew this gesture
> Eventhough the gesture is available
in Apple email, messages and in
most apps with list views
44. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (V)
> Scroll up gesture discloses search
field to search a list
> Only 1 participant knew this gesture
> Eventhough the gesture is available
in Apple email, messages and in
most apps with list views
45. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
The issue with gestures (VI)
> Shake the iPhone to jump directly to
the Favourites.
> No participant knew any shake
gestures.
> Shake gestures should be used very
carefully because often annoying.
46. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Push Notifications
> 50% would turn push notifications on
after first app startup
> 50% had almost an «allergic» reaction
to the push notifications
> During the post interview, push
notifications were rated as the most
negative part of the app!
47. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
User Education on Launch (I)
> „Prefered supplier“-functionality
was kind of hard to understand.
> In the prototype:
> A Notification with User Education
about the prefered supplier
functionality was shown after first start
up of the app.
48. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
User Education on Launch (II)
> The notification was ignored in two
ways:
> Half of the participant just clicked it
away without reading for a second.
> The other half read it but did not
understand the message.
49. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
User Education examples
> User Education must be visual in order to work.
> Still then it is not sure wheter users remember the message.
Labelbox UFace Piictu Pulse
http://www.lovelyui.com/tagged/walk_throughs
http://mobile-patterns.com/edu
50. What Users don‘t understand about their iPhone
Apps???
> Pre-test interview:
How many Apps do you have installed on your iPhone?
I don‘t have any Apps.
What ist the reason, why you don‘t use Apps?
I tried it once in the beginning, but it didn‘t work.
51. The Mobile Couponing App
Thank you
> Hermann Hofstetter: @hhofstetter
> Gregor Urech: @gurech
> Zeix AG: @zeix
http://itunes.apple.com/ch/app/m
obile-coupon/id468638618?mt=8