I talked about doing a little mobile testing a few days ago, but that was just an exercise in learning how infuriating a non-mobile-optimized website can be. That wasn’t what I’d consider true “mobile app testing.” The phones were mounted on a fancy camera rig, and the environment was totally artificial (for better filming).
In reality, we use our devices at home, at the grocery store, while walking, while driving, and while brushing our teeth. We spend more intimate time with our phones than with our spouses. Seriously, we keep them right there in our pockets, next to “that place where the sun don’t shine.” They’re very personal, and therefore testing them has to be very contextual. Which is really hard (see: Designing the Mobile User Experience).
To test a mobile app, you have to get intimate with it for a while. A few of us have been living with Gmonkeys (our upcoming iPhone app) for the last few weeks, and I thought I’d post some observations.
