NFC smart ticketing – Developing a method for effective field testing

Clayton, William; Shergold, Ian

Abstract

A feasibility study has been conducted into the concept of providing a ‘South West Testing Service for Radio Frequency Performance of Near Field Communications by Real People in the Real World (Project NFC-Q3)’. The study concluded that the proposal for such a service is viable, and as such recommended that a pilot be commissioned to provide the data necessary to forming a business plan for the roll-out of the service.

The feasibility study has found that there are few existing examples of field testing of NFC in transport. One of the key challenges in conducting a field test is that there is currently no methodology for testing, prioritising what may be the most problematic reader/handset combinations, or monitoring customer feedback. The pilot study reported here represents the initial consideration of an appropriate method by which to approach field testing of NFC Smart Ticketing. The study collected data from an NFC trial being run on buses in Cambridge and Peterborough, in which ~20 volunteers were provided with an NFC-equipped mobile phone and sent out to use these Smart Tickets in the real world.

As has been explained in the feasibility study, a Usability Evaluation Method (UEM) is most appropriate to effectively test technologies in the ‘real world’. A UEM consists of a framework of potential issues (or ‘misfits’) created by a conflict between the way in which a user expects a system to function and the approach that the system attempts to impose on the user. The UEM developed for this trial has been developed from work by Connell et al. (2004), and used a mixed methodology incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data. Qualitative data can record important detail and context which quantitative data cannot, and therefore it is essential to contextualising the quantitative data and explaining what different experiences of using NFC technologies actually mean for users. A qualitative aspect to the methodology ensures that issues are raised and explored from the user’s perspective, as opposed to participants responding only to issues which service providers think are relevant. The methodology section of this report goes into greater detail on the specific phases of this pilot.

Citation

Clayton, W., & Shergold, I. (2012). NFC smart ticketing – Developing a method for effective field testing

• Report Type: Project Report
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2012
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: NFC, smart ticketing, field test, ICT, bus
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/952248