AnswerLab: Inside the Lab for September 2009

Our expertise has been recognized by clients and the press

	September 2009

User experience research is a fascinating and constantly-changing field. To better provide you with our observations and highlights in user experience research, we have recently launched our usability blog, LabLog. As mobile marketing is top-of-mind for many of our customers, the launch of a recent blog posting, "Drive Mobile Adoption by Avoiding Common User Experience Pitfalls" really hit the spot with many of our clients - so we decided to share it again via our newsletter.

Drive Mobile Adoption by Avoiding Common User Experience Pitfalls

AnswerLab's Fortune 500 clients are devoting an increasing amount of resources to develop both mobile apps and WAP sites. There are 2x as many mobile devices in the world as there are TVs . . . and 4x more mobile devices than PCs. If your company doesn't currently have a mobile strategy, it will - and very soon. At AnswerLab, we've been focused on exploring new research techniques to understand the user experience with prototype and live mobile sites and apps.

In the course of this exploration, we've discovered that mobile testing is dramatically different from web-based testing. First, it's impossible to standardize on one device. In traditional usability testing, you can set up a computer at various screen resolutions and be confident you've covered most of the usage situations. In mobile, you need to test on multiple devices. Secondly, mobile devices are . . . well, quite mobile, making it difficult to focus a camera on the screen during testing and recording. We've used both remote-controlled cameras and in-room videographers to constantly keep the back-room picture in focus. Thirdly, finding the right participants is critical. When testing a WAP site, you want users who would naturally be typing in a URL on their phones and browsing WAP sites in real life. Unfortunately, most mobile device owners have never done this . . . but think they have. It can be a real shock in the lab if you don't have an air-tight screening process. READ MORE

AnswerLab named to the 2009 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing privately-held companies in America.

On August 12, 2009, AnswerLab was named to Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500 list of fastest growing privately-held companies in America. An annual listing of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the U.S., the influential Inc. 500 list is a comprehensive look at today's entrepreneurial successes. AnswerLab ranked No. 31 in the Business Products and Services category and No. 365 overall. AnswerLab is the only user experience research firm to earn a spot on the 2009 Inc. 500 list. Learn more about AnswerLab being named to the Inc. 500 list: PRESS RELEASE

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These AnswerLab services may be useful for you:
	Quantitative Competitive Evaluation Learn where your offering is superior and where your competitors are beating you.	Rapid Iterative Testing Gather quick and targeted user feedback without slowing down your development cycle.
	Remote User Testing Obtain feedback from nationally targeted users in their natural environment - without expensive travel and facility costs.	Mobile Testing Find out how users interact with mobile applications.