Mobile changes everything about how we conduct usability research. Not only has the way we design and build websites and apps had to adapt, how we study them has to as well. Traditional research methods won’t translate to a mobile environment. Cyd Harrell, formerly of Bolt | Peters, has been conducting mobile usability tests. The problem with traditional usability testing labs for mobile is that the users aren’t in their normal context of use. There’s this awkward interaction of holding the device in the right position, or operating while it’s attached to a sled or rig. Observing this unnatural interaction won’t give you the greatest results.