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Fig. 1. Flash handset emulator for 2 types of SMS function (LG electronivcs Inc. model U8130) press # for switch between ABC modes |
UTmore is an online usability test service. I developed the UTmore service system with the members of studio MOP
while I was in LG electronics. Now it¡¯s an independent company. Before UTmore, the only way to test handset usability was paper prototyping.
Paper prototyping is where users participating in the test would pretend that a paper placed on a mobile phone is a screen and react to it.
Sometimes Post-its were used as well! Fig. 1. show an example of the Flash handset emulator for LG's U8130. We made series of Flash handset emulators
for several models while deciding the best UI scenario for the users in Germany and Italy.
Actually, the emulators saves real-time interaction data such as the keypads pressed,
homing time between clicks and the number of clicks for accomplishing each task.
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Fig.2 UTmore in action (usability test in Germany 2004) |
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UTmore provides on-line interactive surveys and usability tests while accumulating and analyzing data on a web database.
UTmore¡¯s survey system includes typical usability tests such as questionnaire, card sorting and item reordering.
Users can also experience prototype devices and undergo several tasks for usability testing through emulated user interfaces. It¡¯s a kind of virtual reality.
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Fig.3. www.utmore.com showcase : admin page |
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Fig.4. www.utmore.com showcase : join page |
Users or testers can log on the UTmore system as participants, moderators, analyzers or administrators according to their system access level. UTmore system has several unique features such as Tree-preference and Jump-sheet. Tree preference constructs a navigation tree based on XML data. Moderators can edit XML data on-line and the system constructs tests on navigation trees for the participants. Jump sheet is a universal interface prototyping tool which saves and loads data on the internet. Moderators can upload images for interface prototypes and edit their navigations on-line. In the present version, file handling is based on Javascript but in the next version we are utilizing file handling ability of Flash 8 for the seamless operation of the program.
In these days, we are working on integrating evolutionary design concept to UTmore system. We are developing programs with which design variables such as color scheme can evolve by itself through genetic algorithms to a more user-friendly way. It is based on the interactive evolutionary design. The interactive evolutionary design is a sort of evolutionary computation that combines interactive usability testing with evolutionary strategies.
UTmore (2004 ~)
Flash, PHP, MySQL