Last Updated: September 30, 2024
It’s important to conduct mobile research with Veterans to ensure everyone can use what we’re designing. This guide covers tips for setting up effective mobile tests, including using Figma prototypes and conducting pilot tests with different devices. It also explains two popular methods for testing—laptop hugging and screen sharing—outlining their pros and cons to help you choose the best approach for your participants.
Planning research
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Plan to have the participants complete the tasks using their phone, as opposed to using an emulator on the desktop or shrinking the desktop browser down
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While we encourage testing on mobile devices, testing on tablets is also acceptable
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Figma prototypes and staging are viable options for testing mobile flows on VA.gov
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To provide more context, consider starting the prototype from what looks like a phone’s home screen (iOS or Android) rather than from your design’s start page, which is already open. (Make sure the first hotspot on that screen targets the phone’s browser icon—Safari or Chrome.)
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Conduct pilot tests with team members with at least an iPhone and an Android phone
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Prioritize fewer tasks (2-3) for the user test in case the initial phone and screen sharing setup takes longer than expected. Plan a few more tasks that are lower priority that you can get to if you have time.
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Alternatively, build a buffer into how long you say the session will take in planning/recruiting docs. E.g. we think it'll be 45 min, so schedule 1 hour and set expectations w/ participants that it'll be 45-60 min
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Decide which method of mobile usability testing you'll use. Read more about that next.
Selecting a method
There are two primary methods that are used for conducting mobile usability testing. Read about each one and their pros and cons.
Laptop hugging method
The “laptop hugging” method involves the user joining the call on their laptop and showing their mobile screen via the webcam. When the initial introduction to the session is done, the moderator asks the participants to turn their laptop 180 degrees so that the screen looks away from them. When the participant places their hands around their computer and takes their phone in their hands, it will be visible on the webcam.
This photo shows what it looks like:
Source, and more about the laptop hugging method
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Pros |
Cons |
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Ability to see the full movement of the fingers |
People without laptops or working web cam can’t use this method |
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Relatively easy instruction and setup |
The quality of the webcam could be blurry |
Screen sharing method
The screen sharing method requires the participant to download the Zoom app on their phone and share their screen as they complete the tasks of the usability study.
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Pros |
Cons |
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People without laptops or webcams can use this method |
Moderators can not see hand movements |
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x |
Could be difficult for non-tech savvy people (there might have to be some reconfiguration in the settings section of the phone) |
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x |
May be more difficult to use with assistive tech (we’ve heard about struggles to get mobile phone screen reader to come through the screensharing audio) |
Help and feedback
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Get help from the Platform Support Team in Slack.
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Submit a feature idea to the Platform.