Build Your Own Usability Lab
For usability professionals and market researchers who need their own usability facility, “Build your own usability lab” is a 1-day workshop that shows delegates how to set up and configure digital video technology to record usability tests. Unlike software-based solutions, this usability lab can be used to evaluate physical products, like mobile phones.
“It's been one of those rare training events when I can't wait to put my learning into practice.”
— James O'Malley, Department for Work and Pensions.
After attending this training course, you will be able to easily build a portable digital usability lab. Because we recommend off-the-shelf components, your lab will cost a fraction of the price of commercial labs. With our guidance, you will be able to build a lab for around £2,500 (even less if you already own some of the equipment, such as a digital video camera). You will build a lab that comprises:
- A remote controlled digital video camera to provide you with detailed views of participants and any ancillary equipment.
- A small wireless camera and mount, ideal for recording the screens of PDAs or mobile phones.
- A scan converter, so that you can get a flicker-free recording of your website or other software on the computer screen.
- A picture-in-picture (PiP) mixer that allows you to decide what gets recorded to tape: the participant's behaviour, the screen, or both.
- A broadcast-quality radio mic, so you can get crystal-clear recordings of what participants say.
- A digital VCR to record what your participants do.
The training is supported by an illustrated resource pack that shows you how to set up the equipment for the various types of test in about ten minutes. This seminar is led by Dr. David Travis who has over 20 years experience in the field of user centred design.
Duration
This is a one-day seminar.
You will learn how to
- Specify the important components of a usability lab;
- Connect the various components together;
- Configure the equipment to carry out a usability test of a website;
- Configure the equipment to carry out a usability test of a PDA or mobile phone;
- Configure the equipment to support both "thinking aloud" usability tests and "formal" usability tests;
- Get high quality audio recordings.
This seminar is aimed at
- Usability professionals;
- Market researchers.
You need to be comfortable connecting off-the-shelf electronic components together, but if you know how to connect your video/DVD/games console to your TV set you will be able to follow this seminar.
Because of differences in electronic components throughout the world, we can only offer this seminar in the UK.
Price and availability
In-house seminar
We bring this course to you and run it for a fixed fee no matter where you are. Prices from £150/delegate + VAT (assuming 12 delegates).
To book an in-house seminar, phone us on 020 7917 9535, e-mail us at or use the fax back form in our brochure.
Vote for a public course
If you want us to run this seminar as a public course, just click on the button below. Once we get 8 like-minded individuals we'll organise a public course and let you know.
Alternatively, try our public usability testing training course, which covers some of the same material.
What delegates say about this seminar
- "It's been one of those rare training events when I can't wait to put my learning into practice".
- "Excellent and very enjoyable".
Customisation
We can supply the equipment as part of the training which means your lab will be fully operational by the end of the seminar. Or we can give you a shopping list of equipment and suppliers, enabling you to buy just what you need, assured that all the equipment will work together.
Many clients take this seminar in combination with Best Practice in Usability Test Moderation.
Money back guarantee
On completion of a public seminar, if you don't think that the training will help you do your job better, we will refund your registration fee in full.
More information
2008 Course Brochure, describing all our usability training seminars (pdf format, 796 Kb).
Back to the usability training seminars index page.