Field vs. Laboratory Usability Evaluations: a Study on a Context Dependent Mobile Application Developed with an Agile Methodology

How usability assessment of mobile interactive applications should be conducted in the frame of agile methodologies is an open question. On the one hand, usability evaluation consumes time and resources, which can make agile methodologies lose their agile essence. On the other hand, there is a considerable debate about whether user interactions with mobile systems should be investigated in the field or in more traditional laboratory environments. This work compares the results of a field study conducted in an interactive context-dependent mobile application with performed laboratory studies. This study has allowed identifying different interaction patterns and contextual factors not likely to be simulated in laboratory environment. Integrating field evaluations in agile methodologies is consistent with the objective of improving product quality through incremental assessments.