Laboratory: Mobile Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab

The NRC-IIT Mobile HCI Lab is dedicated to supporting mobile usability evaluations of mobile technology; its innovative design and focus make it a very rare facility.

Typical lab-based usability evaluations of mobile technology are not undertaken in a realistic mobile environment. Although such evaluations can highlight usability issues at the conceptual level, they do not put mobile systems to the test under realistic, real-use conditions. It is imperative that lab-based evaluations of mobile systems incorporate representative contexts of use if the potential of mobile technology is to be fully realized.

The Mobile HCI Lab has been specifically designed to allow modeling of real-world contexts of use for the purpose of evaluating mobile systems under controlled, safe conditions. Of particular significance is the ability to test the effects of environmental distractions on a user's ability to effectively interact with a mobile system.

A large open space, the Mobile HCI Lab is configurable to the needs of many different experimental protocols. A series of ceiling mounted projectors support '360°' projection around experimental participants in order to introduce visual distractions (and/or instructions) to an experimental set-up. Similarly, a surround sound audio system permits the introduction of audio distractions (and/or instructions).

A configurable lighting system enables the study of lighting conditions on the usability of mobile systems, and an indoor positioning system allows for experimental conditions to be set, and measurements to be taken, based on participant location within the lab space. Each of these capabilities can be used in isolation or in combination to establish a meaningful evaluation environment.

The Mobile HCI Lab is currently equipped with mobile devices across the spectrum from cell phones to wearable computers. The Lab has two observation rooms to allow unobtrusive observation of experimental participants from behind one-way glass. Data recording devices such as the Noldus mobile camera and standard digital cameras allow video records of evaluation sessions to be generated.

Mobile Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab Fact Sheet (in PDF format)

Related Information

Institutes:

• NRC Institute for Information Technology