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Evaluating the usability of the Siemens C10 Mobile Phone going beyond common practice in industry

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Abstract

This paper describes the usability evaluation conducted at Siemens of the prototype for a novel interface of a cellular telephone. The aim of the paper is to show the advantages of more systematic usability testing in contrast to low-cost (often called “quick and dirty”) usability testing. The test provided key data for the decision to implement the new user interface. A quick and dirty test would not have been sufficient to achieve this. The interface design itself is presented followed by a description of the test method, the 80 subjects sample, and the results. The conclusions focus on lessons learnt by conducting an extended study and on the need of integrating usability evaluation in the product cycle.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Siemens AG, Information and Communication Products, Communication Devices (ICP CD TI 3), Competence Centre User Interfaces, Munich, Germany

    Anne Suwita & Martin Böcker

Authors
  1. Anne Suwita
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  2. Martin Böcker
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Correspondence to Anne Suwita or Martin Böcker.

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Suwita, A., Böcker, M. Evaluating the usability of the Siemens C10 Mobile Phone going beyond common practice in industry. Personal Technologies 3, 173–181 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540551

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540551

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