Usability Testing
This workpackage aims to iteratively test the prototype against the user requirements and usability criteria. It involves usability trials with real users, and assessment of the user acceptance of the final BUSMAN prototype.
It starts by setting up the criteria on which the usability of the system will be measured, and the review, and if necessary development, of effective methodologies to evaluate the usability of the prototypes across the different development phases.
The workpackage continues with the usability trials. This task will comprise the development and execution of a series of user trials to test the system modules and prototypes against the user requirements as defined previously. Based on the user groups and their requirements defined in WP2 and when modules of the system are available from WP3 and WP4, a small scale user trial will be conducted. The results will enable refinement of usability criteria for the acceptability of the system, and will be fed back into the other workpackages early enough to allow system design and functionality corrections to be made in a timely manner.
The user trials will be focused on fixed (Internet) and mobile network environments (GPRS and/or UMTS). For the latter, a wireless testbed simulator will be used to test the system in a mobile environment based on GPRS or UMTS packet data communications.
This task also includes testing for user acceptance of the final BUSMAN prototype. Representative sets of users (both content providers and end-consumers) will be invited to participate in these experiments, which will be conducted by human factors experts.
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