How to test and improve your mobile experience

Most teams are testing their mobile experiences the same way they test everything else.

Same setup, same tasks, same questions - just on a smaller screen.

But mobile isn't a smaller desktop. It's a different context, a different input model, and a fundamentally different way people interact with product. Users have different expectations - and when your research doesn't account for that, you get feedback that sounds useful but doesn't reflect how real people actually use your product.

In this workshop, you'll learn how to design and run mobile usability studies that actually reflect how people use mobile - the moments, the environment, the distractions, and the small details that can make or break a mobile experience.

Whether you're currently testing a mobile experience on desktop or looking to level up your mobile research, you'll walk away with a practical framework you can apply straight away.

What you'll learn

• Why mobile is fundamentally different: How context, input methods, and user behavior on mobile diverge from desktop - and why it matters for the quality of your research.
• How prototype fidelity affects your findings: Why gestures, touch targets, and feel and flow need to be high fidelity before you test - and what you risk if they're not.
• How to design tasks that reflect real mobile moments: Why "navigate to the settings screen" isn't a mobile task - and how to write scenarios that unlock genuine, in-context behavior.
• How to simulate real-world conditions: Practical ways to bring distraction, movement, and environmental context into your studies - from moderated sessions to unmoderated testing on-device.
• What changes when you test on a real device: The specific considerations that matter most when participants are on their actual phone, and how to take full advantage of what that makes possible.

What we'll do

• Break down the key differences between mobile and desktop testing - and what each one means for how you design your studies.
• Look at real examples of mobile usability studies, including what works, what doesn't, and why.
• Walk through how to build tasks and scenarios that are genuinely mobile-native.
• Explore practical techniques for simulating real-world conditions in unmoderated studies.
• See how on-device screen recording changes what you can capture - and how to get the most out of it.

Who should attend

This workshop is for UX researchers, product designers, and product managers who are testing - or planning to test - mobile experiences and want to make sure they're getting the most out of that research.

Whether you're new to mobile usability testing or you've been doing it on desktop and want to upgrade your approach, you'll leave with practical techniques you can use in your next study.