[Sigia-l] Tools for Remote Usability Testing (was Re: Where Can You Rent User Testing Labs)

[Mitchell Gass]

At 04:42 PM 4/24/2003 +0100, John O'Donovan wrote:
>...I'd be interested in opinions on tools such as the following three. 
>These are tools developed around the needs of system administrators but 
>have great potential in the area of remote testing: 
>VNC...PCAnywhere...Flash Communications Server
>http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashcom/productinfo/product_overview/

John,

For most of the remote usability tests I conduct, the participants are 
one-time participants, and they need to be able to connect to the screen 
sharing service quickly and easily. Downloading and installing a software 
application, even if it's free, is too much to ask them to do. Also, IT 
departments in many organizations prevent or forbid the installation of new 
software. An advantage of PlaceWare and WebEx is that connecting involves 
little more than going to a website and clicking a link, which 
automatically installs the necessary plug-in, and getting started takes 
only a couple of minutes.

Another requirement for most of the remote tests I conduct is that the 
screen sharing service must work through network firewalls, which almost 
all businesses have. Ports for streaming video are very frequently blocked 
by network firewalls, and the service needs a way around this. PlaceWare 
and WebEx generally work through network firewalls, while other tools I've 
tried, such as NetMeeting and GoToMyPC, don't.

I'm curious to know if the Robin Good report on Web Conferencing discusses 
whether the tools meet these requirements. Luigi, can you help us here?

Mitchell Gass
uLab | PDA: Learning from Users | Designing with Users
Berkeley, CA 94707 USA
+1 510 525-6864 voice
+1 510 525-4246 fax
http://www.participatorydesign.com/