This paper presents two case studies of a mobile probe user evaluation technique.
Probing typically consists of a theme diary and a disposable camera, however, as the authors point out this technique is more difficult in mobile situations. Therefore, the authors modified the technique to include a mobile phone with a camera accessory and text-messaging services. The first pilot study, which evaluated users' behaviors with shopping and clothing, resulted in 101 images and 150 text messages. Participants (shoppers and sales associates) commented on the fact that it can be difficult to take photographs in stores, because of store rules or because of the distractive nature of taking photos in public.
The second case study involves enabling mobile work in seven different companies. The research was conducted in three phases. The first phases involved a series of focus groups to understand mobile work cultures. The second phase included a self-documenting evaluation conducted using a technique based on mobile probes and the experience sampling method. The third phase involved participatory workshops to discuss and interpret the findings with users.
In the self-documenting phase, tasks and questions were sent as text messages to users' mobile phones and users' sent their responses via their mobile phones. Users could then view their responses on a website, to ensure that the message was received accurately.
This study resulted in 277 messages and 225 images. During the participatory design workshop, users categorized the messages and images into categories and created smaller working groups to discuss the categories. The working groups developed mobile worker profiles as well as system requirements for a mobile work solution.
In the second study, nearly 81% of messages included a photo.
Based on their experiences with the two studies, the authors provide recommendations for other researchers who wish to carry out similar studies.
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