CSc 280
User Interfaces

Noldus Observer XT Tutorial
Camcorders and Bullet cams

Introduction

In the Laboratory for the Empirical Study of Systems (LESS), there are two camcorders, four bullet cams (one next to each computer), and two sensitive ceiling-mounted microphones inside the observation room that are connected to a computer in the anteroom. On that computer is a copy of Noldus Observer XT, software designed to help perform user studies (and other kinds of experiments), with which you can record from these cameras during a user study. This document explains how to make a video during your user study session.

Files to Use

You need to log in to the computer in the anteroom in order to use it. You should log in to the Noldus account. I'll give you the password in class.

The computer already has files set up for you to use with Noldus. These files are in a directory called UI Projects Winter 2008 and a shortcut to this folder appears on the desktop. If you are ever in need of it, the full path is: 

D:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\
Projects\UI Projects Winter 2008
on the D drive (not C). An easier path to remember is through the Shared Projects folder: 
Shared Projects\Noldus\The Observer XT\Projects\UI Projects Winter 2008
Inside this folder are individual folders for each project, and inside each of those are folders specific to each team (named by first name). Get into your specific folder and look for a file called ObserverProject. This file is the one with the green icon that depicts an eye in front of a sheet of paper. Open this file to start Noldus.

Creating a New Observation

Noldus organizes data (video and annotations for the video) under observations. When you perform a set of user tests, data for each subject should be recorded in its own observation.

To create a new observation, do the following:

  1. In the back of the observer computer (the one in the anteroom) are four connections to the different cameras. Since there are six possible sources (four bullet cams and two camcorders), make sure the ones you want to use are connected.

  2. Turn on the camcorders if you're using them. Take the lens cap off the cameras and turn them on by turning the small knob at the back. You will use both cameras for Project 1, so be sure you turn both of them on. You will NOT have to press the "record" button on them at any time.

  3. Open your Noldus Observer Project. The left hand side of the screen shows sections of data. One of these sections is Observations.

  4. Create a new observation by right-clicking on Observations in the left-hand menu. This will pop up a menu, from which you should choose New Observation.

  5. Now, a dialog box will appear with several fields. The first field asks for a name to give to the observation. Change the name from its default (Observation0001) to SubjectX, where X is your subject's number. Do NOT use your subject's real names for the observation name. Keep it anonymous. Click OK to continue.

  6. The Noldus MPEG-4 Recorder will then automatically start. This is the piece of software that actually records data from the video cameras. When it starts, it will search for video feeds from the connected cameras. When it finds them, it will show you what is currently seen by the cameras. If this does not happen, exit, delete the observation, and start over.

  7. Once the Noldus MPEG-4 Recorder is open, you need to tell it where to store the videos that it records. Click the Browse button and navigate to the Media directory in your group's project directory: 
    Shared Projects\Noldus\The Observer XT\
Projects\UI Projects Winter 2008\ProjectX\~Team Folder~\
ObserverProject\Media

  8. When you actually start an observation session, the Noldus MPEG-4 Recorder will be "under" the main Noldus Observer XT window. To avoid this problem, move the Noldus MPEG-4 Recorder to the monitor on the right before you proceed.

  9. You are now ready to actually start making an observation. Make sure your subject is there and you have the camcorders/bullet cams positioned the way you want them. When you are ready to record, go to the main Observer XT window and find the Playback Control window. If it is not present, you can make it appear by choosing Playback Control from the View menu. On the Playback Control window, you will find a large green button. Pressing the green button causes the observation to start. After a short time, you will see that the MPEG-4 Recorder is actually recording (the "Stop Recording" button will be active). Wait until it is recording before the facilitator begins describing the first task.

  10. When you are ready to end the observation, press the large red button on the Playback Control window. You will be asked if you really want to end the observation. Click yes.

  11. Now, the videos have been created and they are stored in your project's Media folder, but Noldus has not yet associated those videos with the observation. To correct this, right click on Media Files under the Observation you just recorded in the left-hand menu, and select Open Media Files. Navigate to your new media folder (see above), and select the files you just created, which will have names that start with SubjectX if your observation is called SubjectX. You can use shift-click to select multiple files.

  12. You can now playback your observation using the Playback Control. You can play forward and backward as well as rewind and fast forward. All videos will advance together as you do this. You will also hear what the subject was saying while you see the video.

  13. Repeat steps 4-12 for each subject.

Don't forget to save your project!

Thanks to Aaron Cass for the original version of this document.

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