As the tablet market continues to grow, so does the need to keep pace with the interaction challenges and opportunities these devices provide. The tablet platform raises unique challenges for developing and testing digital experiences. As a guide for user experience professionals, developers, designers, and product managers, AnswerLab has identified three key trends across our tablet UX research and will provide five lessons for creating tablet experiences, as well as best practices for conducting tablet research.

1. Pass the iPad, Please:
Five Lessons for Creating
Great Tablet Experiences
Brennan Browne
AnswerLab Senior UX Researcher
Presented to BayCHI: March 20, 2012
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2. The world’s leading brands
partner with AnswerLab
AnswerLab: The User
Experience Research Leader
• Founded: 2004
• Headquarters: San Francisco
• Trusted by global market leaders
• Regularly asked to speak at
industry events
• Fastest growing research
firm 3 years in a row
• Fastest growing
research firm 3 years in a row
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3. Today’s Presenter
Brennan Browne
Senior UX Researcher, AnswerLab
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, across web and mobile devices
• Has led hundreds of user interviews for companies such as ESPN, Zynga, Wal-Mart, and
Genentech
• Recently published in UX Magazine: Five Lessons From A Year of Tablet UX Research
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4. Today’s Discussion
3 Trends 5 Lessons
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5. iPad & AnswerLab Tablet Research Timeline
September 2010
June 2011 October 2011 November 2011
Ethnographic
April 2010
Research eCommerce Mobile App eCommerce &
iPad (Financial Services Research Research Health Research
Released & Sports) (Retail) (Health Services) (Retail)
May 2010 April 2011 April 2011 November 2011
General Cross-Platform Tablet Security iPad Search
Research Sync Research Research Research
(AnswerLab) (Browsers) (Digital Security) (Online Search)
January 2012 January 2012 March 2012 March 2012
Ethnographic eCommerce Cross-Platform Shopping Tools
Research Research Research Research
(Financial Services) (Retail) (Online Gaming) (Automotive)
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6. Trend #1
Trading Computer
Time for Tablet Time
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7. “easy
fun
”
“convenient
”
“ ” 7

8. Tablet = Go Anywhere Convenience
Tablet usage
Computer usage
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9. The Tablet is Portable vs. Mobile
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10. Tablet Interactions = More Fun
Amazon.com Amazon iPad App
• Swipe through pages
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11. Tablets – Not JUST Fun
Not just for entertainment, tablets are being used for:
– Banking
– Reviewing & editing work documents
– Research
– Internal enterprise
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12. Device Usage Driven More by Intent
than Location
I want to check
I want to immerse
I want to manage
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13. Device of Choice is Often the Closest
One
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14. Trend #2
The Tablet &
Shared Experiences
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15. Tablets are Shared Among Family
Members
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16. Apps Compensate for Multi-User
Scenarios
The Facebook tablet app
manages multiple user profiles
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17. Greater Security Concerns with Tablet
than PC
• Less tech-savvy users
• Portability and potential loss of financial info, shopping, stored
passwords
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18. Trend #3
Apps vs. Web
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19. Apps Must Deliver More than Web
Experience
Tablet users…
-Instinctively go to a browser first
-Users expect full web access vs. a
mobile redirect
-Know they will get a better browser
experience than on mobile phone
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20. Example of Good App vs. Web
Experience: ESPN
App offers:
-Customizable
-Persistent login
-Layout mimics iOS, not website
-Video content
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21. Immersive = Content + Interface +
Interaction
I want to check
I want to immerse
I want to manage
Tablet experiences need to address this immersive mode
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22. App Pitfalls
Where an app can fail:
-Limiting information
required to complete tasks
(e.g. product details)
-Sending users back to the
web
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23. Universal Apps Promote Discoverability
• Users who first installed an iPhone version may not check for an
iPad version
• “Mobile” in app title can lead to confusion
NPR mobile app on an iPad NPR iPad app
(designed for iPhone)
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24. 5 Lessons
For Creating Great
Tablet Experiences
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25. 5 Lessons for Creating Tablet Experiences
1.Small Laptop, not Big Phone
2.Full Web
3.Content over Context
4.Shared Device
5.Security Fears
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26. 1: Small Laptop, not Big Phone
The iPad is viewed as more of a small computer than a big iPhone, so
apps should be designed to provide a fast, intuitive, and full-featured
experience that is fun to use, and that beats the Web.
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27. 2: Content over Context
People use their iPads as extra-portable laptops, but don’t necessarily
bring them with them everywhere. This means that in the iPad’s current
state, location-specific experiences are secondary to core functionality,
rich content, and a superb interface.
However, look for tablet owners to increasingly take their devices
outside their homes or work environments as the proliferation rate of
mobile broadband increases in the coming years.
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28. 3: Full Web
When browsing the Web, users expect to access the full version of
websites, so ensure that your site is optimized to deliver a great
experience on the iPad in addition to on traditional computer platforms.
For example, input fields should include the appropriate HTML5 tags to
streamline information entry on the iPad by serving up the appropriate
iPad keypad.
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29. 4: Shared Device
The fact that the iPad serves as a shared device (without iOS support
for multiple users) presents unique challenges, so be sure to consider
how features and use cases (e.g., one-click purchases) may be
affected by multiple users sharing a single device.
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30. 5: Security Fears
Security is a major concern for iPad users as many are still unfamiliar
with the platform. Plan accordingly and be aware that users may be
less likely to log in or enter their personal information when using a
tablet device.
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31. Conducting Tablet
Research
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32. Lab Setup: General Considerations
– Recording software
– User camera
– Remote viewing
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33. Recording & Observer Experience
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34. Screen Capture or Camera?
vs.
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35. Direct Screen Capture
If you’ve ever watched a Steve Jobs keynote, you’ve seen this in action
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36. Screen Capture Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
– Best image quality – Does not work with all devices
– Portable – iPhone: limited options without
jailbreaking
– Inexpensive
– Does not capture physical
interactions with device
– Passwords, sensitive information
cannot be hidden
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37. Camera Options
Document
Videographer Sled Camera
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38. Camera – Overall Considerations
– Demos / Rentals
– Hot Zone
– Lighting
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39. Videographer Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
– Works with any mobile device – Cost (two people)
– Captures physical interaction with – Screen may be difficult to see
device
– Need for constant zooming /
– Flexible & portable panning
– Videographer may make
participants less comfortable
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40. Videographer Output
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41. Sled Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
– Fixed, high-resolution screen – Won’t work with all devices
image
– Limits user’s ability to switch
– Captures physical interaction with orientations or use slide-out
device keyboard
– No videographer required – Adds weight to mobile device
– Very portable – Hard for participants to hide
passwords, sensitive information
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42. Sled Output
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43. Document Camera Pros & Cons
Pros Cons
– Works with almost any device in
any orientation – Price (ask for a demo or rental)
– Captures physical interaction with
device – Screen image not as perfect as
with direct screen capture
– High-resolution camera
– No videographer required – Not well-suited for field studies
– Reminds users where to hold
device
– Easy for participants to hide
passwords, sensitive info
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44. Document Camera Output
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45. Questions?
For follow-up questions about AnswerLab user
experience research services, contact:
info@answerlab.com
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