Do you ever find that you need to create a recording of two camera feeds? We developed a way that uses only free software (if you have Microsoft Windows) and is pretty straightforward. Read more »
Usability professionals and other research-focused professions often find the need to record screen video. This blog entry is intended to introduce you to basic approaches to capturing screen video and to explain the tradeoffs associated with these approaches…
In a previous blog, I discussed the pros and cons of having a one-way mirror in your usability lab. A one-way mirror is glass that has been coated with a thin layer of metal so that it’s reflective, like a mirror. It’s called a one-way mirror because in one direction it’s a mirror, but in the other direction it’s a window. There’s some debate about the proper name – many people call it a two-way mirror because either side can be used as a mirror by changing which room is lit and which room is dark. They’re commonly used in usability labs and focus group rooms, but also in other locations like observation rooms in police stations and day care facilities. Once you’ve decided that you want a one-way mirror for your usability lab, what next? Here are some tips for designing your one-way mirror, based on our experiences building our lab (including consultation with a professional acoustician) and experiences that our moderators have had in other labs.
When we moved into our new building in 2008, I was part of the team that designed our usability lab. One-way mirrors were an essential part of the design of the rooms. However, when our UK Partner, Amberlight, redesigned their usability lab in 2008, they didn’t use any mirrors, and our German partner, UID, also has a usability lab without mirrors. Do you need a one-way mirror?
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