Usability test - iPhone vs N95, TyTN and W910i

Scandinavian's leading “usability and interaction design company” inUseful has release a rather interesting usability test. In "So… Does the iPhone live up to its hype?" [Link to the PDF file] test inUseful, with its usability experts, is trying to find out how good and easy the iPhone really is to use. They ran an inUse comparative usability test with four phones (iPhone, N95, TyTN and W910i) and five users.

The test consist of nine steps:

- Make a call by dialing a number manually and then by calling a person from the address book
- Change volume during a call
- Add a new contact to the address book
- Create a new calendar event
- Set the alarm
- Lock and unlock the device
- Compose and send a text message
- Put the phone in silent mode
- Take a picture and send it to a person in the address book

inUseful's goal was to create a test that shows how the iPhone really works:

We decided to do a usability test to determine if the iPhone will meet people’s expectations and live up to its hype. Simply having people trying out the iPhone, and then asking them if they liked it or not, would not make much of a test. In order to see how the iPhone really worked in action, and how well that corresponds to people’s expectations of it, we had five people carry out a set of tasks using the iPhone as well as with three other devices from leading competing brands.

The result of the test isn't so nice in view of Sony Ericsson fan. Apple's iPhone won the test easily and four out of five persons picked the iPhone.

After the users had completed all tasks, they were asked which phone they would prefer to use, should they choose today. Four persons picked the iPhone and one the Sony Ericsson W910i. In terms of subjective preference, this means that the iPhone won by wide margins. The Sony Ericsson came in second place and the Nokia third. Most of the subjects did not mention the HTC at all when speaking of which device they would prefer.

Via Phonemag

26.02.2008. 15:32

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