UWI Usability Lab

UWI Usability Lab

Facilities

4.1 Stationary usability Lab

Commonly stationary usability lab consists of observer side and participant side:

The Observer side is where the Usability Engineer and other observers may view the study. The one-way mirror allows observers to clearly see the participant side during the study, while minimizing any distractions for the participant.

The wall and the one-way mirror are sound proof so observers can discuss design ideas in a normal tone without disturbing the participant.

We have several tools in the observer room to collect the usability data and efficiently analyze it. All of our tools have been designed to help us quickly get usability data back to the usability lab team

The Participant side of the lab is designed to simulate a normal office environment. We can easily change the layout of the participant's side to fit a variety of study scenarios.

There are two cameras that can be positioned at virtually any angle by the engineer on the Observer side. Cameras are used to record the participant's facial expressions and mouse movements while evaluating software.

The participant and the observer can communicate easily using microphones and speakers within the rooms.

Two-room usability lab (left) ‘evaluation setup’ (right).

Photo’s of a large two-room lab on the left (up to 10 people can watch the test being performed). The photo on the right is the setup that is used in the “evaluation room”. A separate room with a large table for discussing tests, for creating a video highlight and for viewing a live test (without having to interfere with people in the observation room).

The table below lists equipment that normally is used in the usability lab. On the right side an example of equipment used in a stationary usability lab is shown. Of course the exact equipment used in lab depends on the research or tests that are being performed and therefore can vary.

Equipment used	Description
Test/Participant/User room
Dome camera (integrated zoom/pan/tilt)	One for facial view, one for overview (or zoomed in on subject of test e.g. manual, paper prototype, mock-up)
Camera on tripod / in hand	Camcorder can be used anywhere (in the lab, but also outside or in portable lab)
Mobile Device Camera	As option for testing mobile phones or PDA
Participants’ PC	PC for running the SW that has to be tested (with monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, internet connection, etc.)
Splitter	For feeding the computer screen image (i.e. XGA) to the control room and the participants’ PC
Observation/Control room
Event logging and video analysis software	The Observer Video-Pro
uLog	Records mouse and keyboard events
PC	PC (with depending on media used: MPEG encoder, decoder and very large hard disc integrated)
MPEG encoder	For live creation of media files (options are MPEG-1 or MPEG-2)
Quad unit	For mixing four images into 1 signal (every image in a corner)
Video mixer	For mixing 2 images (out of maximal four) into 1 signal (e.g. picture-in-picture)
Scan Converter	For converting the computer screen image into PAL or NTSC
Video Monitor	For view of cameras. The number and size of monitors depends on the number of people that are invited in the observer/control room.
XGA (computer screen) splitter and multiple (LCD) PC monitors	Necessary when a larger number of people have to see the actual PC screen of the participant live on a PC monitor
Video matrix switcher	Necessary if a large number of video signals have to be handled (without having to change connections).
Microphone amplifier	For signal of participants and test leader
Super Close Projector 3M 712-M6	For reviewing/discussing the results. Also interfaces can be designed with light pen on whiteboard
Biopac Data Acquisition Set	Collecting biophysiological data from signals like ECG, EEG, EOG, etc.
FaceReader	For face expression emotion recognition

Table: Equipment used in usability Lab

4.2 Portable usability Lab

This portable lab isconfigured for a variety of usability research applications. It is flexible and can be used in different settings (e.g. for observing focus groups, in a lab and in the field). In the picture below you will find a schematic overview of the setup.

With the video camera you can film the behavior and sound of the test person(s) or focus group. If you also want to record a PC screen, you can use the scan converter to convert the signal from the computer screen into a normal video signal. The mixer combines two video signals into one video signal. This combined video image is then recorded on videotape and the notebook’s hard disk. These video files can be analyzed using The Observer Video-Pro software installed on the notebook. With the DVD-writer you can store your video clips on DVD and share interesting parts with your colleagues.

UWI Usability Lab Facilities

Revised: 11 June 2008