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Jaan got hold of an iPad back home in San Francisco, but Andreas in Sweden must wait a little bit longer for his. Here’s what Jaan did on his first weekend as an iPad owner.

The Problem

The iPad has arrived, and now everyone wants to get on it. But for those of us involved with UX, it is far from business as usual. There’s a very particular challenge involved with user testing on the iPad.

No one has ever used one before. In fact most people haven’t used or even seen any tablet in real life. Regular user testing is comparatively easy – everyone has been on the web or worked in a desktop app, and thus has a frame of reference.

Not so with the iPad. Or the WePad, ExoPC, Notion Ink Adam or any other pad, slate, tablet, screen, deck or thing.

The Solution

Luckily there is a solution to make any testing you do with an unfamiliar device a tangible, hands on experience for your team of testers.

You may not have a whole set of iPads to hand out but that’s not what’s needed. If you will be testing a set of wireframes, transferring the files on to an iPad would be overkill. Get the old cardboard, scissors and glue out instead. No, I’m not kidding.

Last weekend I prepared two upcoming iPad user tests in San Francisco. One for an app and the other for the accompanying website. I created a batch of cardboard iPads by scanning my device, printing it out, and gluing the sheets on to cardboard.

This way each person in the test panel will have their own “iPad”, something real to hold, turn and relate to.

When the wireframes are done I’ll print them out and attach them to the cardboard iPads with non-permanent mount spray (below). The testers can scribble and draw on the wireframes, and when they are done we peel off the printouts and replace with the next version.

When we’re done, the “screens” go on the wall for the dev team’s evaluation session. And then they get saved in the test logbook. Quick, easy and tangible.

I also made a few “3D” versions of the mock iPads, mounting a printout on stiff foam core. It’s not quite the same thickness as the real iPad but close enough. The testers will use these as an aid in thinking about the overall environment they are in, and actions they perform (like taking the tablet out of their bag), before interacting with the app or site.

This 3D part of the test is getting close to the world of hardware design, which is not my area of expertise. But as with all interaction work, I find results from on-screen UX testing for an unfamiliar device usually comes out better when there is a tangible component involved. Plus it makes it playful and helps the testers give more honest and unedited feedback.

There is a drawback with this approach. You can’t simulate multi-touch, gestures or any type of feedback. How ever as a first step, this approach can get you lots of important information to act on as you progress from concept to best selling App Store app.

Tools

Here is the scan I used (PDF) to create the cardboard iPads, feel free to download it and give it a whirl. The image is a bit rough on purpose, I want the tester’s focus to be on what’s on the screen, and not the device itself.

This is an action packed thrill ride of a video where I show off the cardboard dummies.

Good luck.