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

[John O'Donovan]

Thanks Mitchell.

I was thinking of Flash for the reason that it does not have firewall issues
but the other tools for use in controlled environments across company
networks and / or where an application can be installed. Also in working
environments where cameras are not possible to setup it is an effective way
to monitor and record user activity.

What I agree with and like about the approach is that making it easier to
test things in this fashion across is useful and will promote broader and
longer feedback and testing. Many of the companies I work with have multiple
offices and it is not easy to get people to a testing location, but they
often have secure dialup and the ability to connect to desktops remotely.

The firewalls problem can be an issue but PCAnywhere, VNC and others can be
easily made to work through a firewall.

Cheers,

jod


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mitchell Gass" <mitchell at participatorydesign.com>
To: "John O'Donovan" <jod at adito.net>; "Amy Kahn" <amy at zoned.net>;
<Robin.Good at masternewmedia.org>
Cc: <sigia-l at asis.org>; <morry at webproducers.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 5:50 PM
Subject: Tools for Remote Usability Testing (was Re: Where Can You Rent User
Testing Labs)


> 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/
>
>
>
>