Understanding how to use a product under test is a key skill for software testers. In the past this knowledge has come from reading requirements documentation and working with others in the development team and the wider business responsible for the product design. But is this enough to understand how the product will be used? Mobile users are different. The emotional attachment people have with their mobile devices is far greater than with websites and desktops. Their expectations are greater, and it’s far easier for them to make their voices heard through application store feedback. This presentation will explain the typical ways in which mobile users are different and what we, as testers, can do in order to understand them better so that we can test better. We’ll look at how to use persona’s and profiles and see how to use industry data and analytics. You’ll learn how to work more closely with other roles within the team such as UX and Design in order to test more effectively. And let’s not forget about the users themselves; we’ll also look at how you can engage the users directly and work with them to ensure that mobile applications are as good quality as they can be. You’ll leave with the enthusiasm and knowledge to take your mobile testing to greater heights.

1. Stephen Janaway
Mobile Users Are Different

2. @stephenjanaway
www.stephenjanaway.co.uk
@stephenjanaway
www.testinginthepub.com
@testinginthepub

3. @stephenjanaway

4. @stephenjanaway
Mobile Users Are Different
• Why Is It Important?
• What Is the Current State of the Mobile World?
• Who Are These Users Anyway?
• What Do They Do?
• What Can We Learn From Them?
• How Can That Help Our Testing?

5. By Marvel (Based upon a NASA image, see [1].) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

6. @stephenjanaway

7. @stephenjanaway

8. @stephenjanaway
What Makes Mobile Testing Different?
• Many platforms.
• Many OS versions in the field.
• Many different hardware configurations.
• Devices have limited memory and processing capability.
• Many different sorts of users.
• Short, fast paced projects.
• Apps are launched to a large audience.

9. @stephenjanaway
MOBILE USERS ARE
MORE EMOTIONALLY
ATTACHED

10. @stephenjanaway
QUALITY IS CURRENTLY
STILL NOT GREAT…
AND USERS CAN LEAVE FAST,
VISIBLE FEEDBACK

11. @stephenjanaway
UNDERSTAND YOUR
MOBILE USER
AND TEST LIKE THEM

12. @stephenjanaway
Understand Your Mobile User
and Test Like Them
• User Persona’s.
• User Profiling.
• Industry Statistics.
• Apps Store Reviews.
• Analytics.
• Use Your Users.

13. @stephenjanaway
“Personas are fictional characters created to represent the
different user types that might use a site, brand, or
product in a similar way”.
Alan Cooper
"AlanCooper" by cherylish. Originaluploader was Cherylish at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Logan using CommonsHelper.(Original text : from subject). Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia
Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AlanCooper.jpg#mediaviewer/File:AlanCooper.jpg
User Persona’s

14. @stephenjanaway
Benefits
• Help us share a specific, consistent understanding of
various groups of users.
• Proposed solutions can be guided by how well they
meet the needs of individual user personas.
• Provide a human "face" so as to focus empathy on the
persons represented by the demographics.

15. @stephenjanaway
• Name: Robert
• Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a cool and
trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree
in Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived with his
four roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world. This allows
him to make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t have his
mobile with him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch and already has
a wearable fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the hardware
upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he can use with his
phone.
Robert

16. @stephenjanaway
Robert
• Name: Robert
• Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a cool and
trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in
Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived with his four
roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world. This allows him to
make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t have his mobile with
him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch and already has a wearable
fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the hardware
upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he can use with his phone.

17. @stephenjanaway
Robert
• Name: Robert
•Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a cool and
trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in
Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived with his four
roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world. This allows him
to make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t have his mobile
with him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch and already has a
wearable fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the hardware
upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he can use with his phone.

18. @stephenjanaway
Robert
• Name: Robert
• Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a
cool and trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a
degree in Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived
with his four roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world. This allows him
to make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t have his mobile
with him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch and already has a
wearable fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the hardware
upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he can use with his phone.

19. @stephenjanaway
Robert
• Name: Robert
• Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a cool and
trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree
in Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived with his
four roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world.
This allows him to make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t
have his mobile with him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch
and already has a wearable fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the hardware
upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he can use with his phone.

20. @stephenjanaway
Robert
• Name: Robert
• Age: 32
• Background: Robert is a young, single professional. He works in software at a cool and
trendy East London company. He graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree
in Computer Science. He has just purchased his first flat. Until recently, he lived with his
four roommates in a shared house.
• Robert doesn’t have a home phone; his mobile phone is his whole world. This allows him
to make and get calls, receive emails and listen to music. If he doesn’t have his mobile
with him, he feels lost. He’s seriously considering a smart watch and already have a
wearable fitness device.
• When a new version of his mobile phone comes out, he immediately gets the
hardware upgrade. He’s always showing his friends the new applications he
can use with his phone.

21. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mary
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in North
Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her
mobile device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of
screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for reading and
driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of her
son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this was
a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.

22. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mary
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in North
Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her
mobile device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of
screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for reading and
driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of
her son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this
was a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.

23. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in North
Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her
mobile device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of
screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for reading and
driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of
her son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this
was a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.
Mary

24. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Mary
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village
in North Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her mobile
device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of screen
size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for reading and driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of her
son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this was
a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.

25. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in North
Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and
family. However she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently
started using her mobile device for online shopping. She owns a
laptop and frequently uses it because of screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with
age, and she wears glasses for reading and driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of
her son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this
was a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.
Mary

26. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in North
Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her
mobile device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of
screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for
reading and driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the advice of
her son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until recently this
was a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless broadband.
Mary

27. @stephenjanaway
"HappyPensioneer". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
• Name: Mary
• Age: 70
• Background: Mary is a retired lecturer. She is married and lives in a small village in
North Yorkshire.
• She primarily uses her mobile phone to keep in touch with friends and family. However
she is more tech savvy than many of her friends, and has recently started using her
mobile device for online shopping. She owns a laptop and frequently uses it because of
screen size. Her eyesight is deteriorating with age, and she wears glasses for reading
and driving.
• To her, a mobile device is a tool and nothing more. She only upgrades on the
advice of her son, preferring to stick with ‘what she knows’.
• Mary lives in an area where the mobile phone reception is variable. Until
recently this was a problem, however her son has recently installed wireless
broadband.
Mary

28. @stephenjanaway
PERSONA’S CAN DRIVE
REQUIREMENTS
BUT THEY CAN ALSO HELP
DRIVE CONVERSATIONS

29. @stephenjanaway
User Profiles
• Power User.
• Light User.
• Social Networker.

30. @stephenjanaway
Understand the Market

31. @stephenjanaway
Use Your Own Data

32. @stephenjanaway
Understand How People Use Their Devices

33. @stephenjanaway
Understand When People Use Their Devices

34. @stephenjanaway
Source: gs.statcounter.com
Understand Where People Use Their Devices

35. @stephenjanaway
Image courtesy of userlytics.com
Usability Testing

36. @stephenjanaway
Users Can Tell You What They Want

37. @stephenjanaway
You Can Start a Dialog

38. @stephenjanaway
"2003-09-23 Convenience of a cell phone" by Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Test Using Users

39. @stephenjanaway
UNDERSTAND YOUR MOBILE USER
AND DON’T TEST LIKE THEM

40. @stephenjanaway
Why?
“It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot
of times, people don't know what they want until you
show it to them.”
Steve Jobs

41. @stephenjanaway
• Mobile Users Are Different.
• Make friends with your UX team.
• Understand the Market.
• Understand Your Users.
• Use Your Users (both internal and external).
• Test Like Your Users!!
• Don’t Test Like Your Users.
So I Leave You With This…

42. @stephenjanaway
“QUALITY IS VALUE
TO SOME PERSON
WHO MATTERS”
James Bach and Michael Bolton

43. @stephenjanaway
“Be proud, your work will soon
be in the hands of millions”
A NOKIA PRODUCT MANAGER
Stephen Janaway
www.stephenjanaway.co.uk
@stephenjanaway
www.testinginthepub.com
Questions?