Abstract: A user interface evaluation technique has been developed that: a) accurately documents user inputs and system responses; b) follows the logic behind user actions; c) obtains behavior that is not biased by the evaluation technique; d) does not cause the participants to feel uncomfortable; and, e) easily illustrates user interface problems to others. The basic technique involves participants working in pairs, direct video recording of screen images without a camera, and audio recording on the same videotape of the users' verbal interactions. The result is a real-time record of the interactions, which, when replayed on a monitor and speaker, provides a very faithful reconstruction of what happened during the evaluation. The main advantages of this approach over other data collection techniques, such as computerized recording of data and video recording with a camera, are that it is easier and less expensive to implement, and it is unobtrusive.

Keywords: Case studies; Data collection; Empirical studies; Evaluation; Logging, audio; Logging, screen; Prototyping; Video

Originally published: Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 30th Annual Meeting, 1986, pp. 1029-1033

Republished: G. Perlman, G. K. Green, & M. S. Wogalter (Eds.) Human Factors Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction: Selections from Proceedings of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meetings, 1983-1994, Santa Monica, CA: HFES, 1995, pp. 56-60.