Testing touch: Emulators vs. devices

Abstract

Conducting usability tests is a time and resource intensive process. The ability to do remote testing significantly reduces the cost associated with testing while still providing rich feedback. However, mobile touch interfaces provide a unique challenge for remote testers. This paper compares the results of testing an application on a mobile touch device (the iPod Touch) and an emulator using a between subject test. In it, we examine the differences in time on task, usability issues discovered, and task completion. Results suggest that emulators can be used to detect some but not all usability issues and that they may provide some false positives as well. Further research is required to separate issues with the emulator vs. device from the remote vs. in-person test environment. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.