At AnswerLab, we use WebEx for our team meetings as well as for remote usability sessions. WebEx is a fantastic web application that allows us to have weekly virtual meetings with our distant off-site workers as well as conduct interviews with people from anywhere in the world. Talk about convenient.
I’ve got some remote sessions coming up in a few weeks. Here’s how it works in a nutshell..
After working with my client, determining the overall goal of the study, as well as the target audience, I turn to a recruiting agency. They provide me with a list of participants.
On the day of the study, I start a WebEx meeting, dial into the teleconference number and await the participant’s arrival. Meanwhile, my client is connecting to the WebEx to play the role of Observer.
Once the participant logs into WebEx and dials into the teleconference, I hit Record Meeting and begin the interview.
I ask the participant to perform a series of tasks on a website. All the while, I probe, asking questions such as.. “What did you expect that link to lead to?” and “What would you do next?” and “What do you think about that feature?”
Probing, questioning, seeking… these are the things that help me formulate my report.
Once the interview is over, I check in with my client to see what they thought about the sessions and then I prepare for the next session. Repeat about six to eight times over the next day or so.
At the end of the interviews, I review recordings of the sessions as well as my notes and I dig into writing a topline report. This is a very high level document that captures my initial thoughts. Over the next few days to a week, I turn my thoughts into a report and then present it to my client, either in person or over the phone.
The report is a PowerPoint Presentation and tells a story about the interviews. It includes many details about the study, participant quotes, as well as recommendations.
The process of meeting with my client, recruiting and interviewing participants, and writing and presenting my report can typically be between a few weeks and a month or two.
Usability is a fascinating field. I feel privileged to be able to interview people and find out their reactions to the things we use. Based on those findings, it is a personal call to action to translate that which I’ve observed into something useful for my client. It’s quite satisfying, this thing called usability.
Comments
Webex is an awesome tool for large corporations (based on price and functionality) but for a small business such as mine, I need a simple remote access tool which would be both easy for the client to use as well as reasonably priced. I’ve dug up a number of services such as LogMeIn, Teamviewer, etc and have found Techinline (http://www.techinline.com) to fit my criteria most based on the price/performance analysis. It is browser based and doesn’t require any installation as well as allows to transfer files and communicate. It’s got my vote as the best remote support tool on the market
I’m evaluating software for remote usability testing right now & am comparing WebEx, Morae, and a HyperCam + CoPilot solution.
Question when recording on WebEx: Do you use WebEx for audio tranfer, or do you use the phone? Do you record the audio with WebEx’s recorder? How do you find it? I’m a little worried about data transfer & choppiness…
I’ve used WebEx before but not when we’ve had to record. I found it worked best to give the participant control, and have them visit the website in question. (or a prototype posted to a URL.)
– E
Hi Eloise,
I’ve used WebEx and UserVue for remote studies. For in person interviews, I always use Morae Recorder to capture the sessions.
For WebEx recordings, I always use the teleconference since the phone system is robust and reliable. I don’t trust VoIP, personally. Too much room for error in my opinion.
To find the WebEx audio recording feature, you’ll need to use one of their higher priced plans like Meeting Center. I used to use MeetMeNow but that didn’t offer the teleconference recording feature so I had to upgrade. Audio/Video recordings with Meeting Center are perfect. No choppiness.
As you mention, I too give the participant control and have them visit the site in question. Seems to work better than the other way around.