Where-how-what am i feeling: User context logging in automated usability tests for mobile software

Abstract

This work proposes the use of a system to implement user context and emotional feedback and logging in automated usability tests for mobile devices. Our proposal augments the traditional methods of software usability evaluation by monitoring users’ location, weather conditions, moving/stationary status, data connection availability and spontaneous facial expressions automatically. This aims to identify the moment of negative and positive events. Identifying those situations and systematically associating them to the context of interaction, assisted software creators to overcome design flaws and enhancing interfaces’ strengths. The validation of our approach include post-test questionnaires with test subjects. The results indicate that the automated user-context logging can be a substantial supplement to mobile software usability tests.