Remote Evaluation of Mobile Context-Aware Systems Using Data-Gathering Agents

In this paper we describe a system for silently studying users' behaviour through automated data gathering in mobile devices. Today's handheld devices have rich sensing capabilities that can be used to perceive information about users' physical environment. The automated gathering of usage and context data allows not only the study of how users behave in terms of interaction with the device but also the analysis of relations between those interactions and the physical context in which they happen. This might help to improve the quality of the tested applications by offering a deeper understanding of users' perceptions and needs.