[ATTW-L] [EXT] Re: Recommendations on usability/UX software?

Mon Apr 22 18:58:14 UTC 2019

Interesting, Erin.  Does Silverback have an equivalent for the PC?  I will have to take a look.

FYI, Tharon is absolutely correct about the value of the Saldana books for coding.

Pam

From: Friess, Erin [mailto:Erin.Friess at unt.edu]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2019 2:39 PM
To: Tharon Howard <tharon at clemson.edu>; Pam Estes Brewer <brewer_pe at mercer.edu>; Jonathan Arnett <jonathan.arnett at gmail.com>; attw-l at attw.org
Subject: Re: [EXT] Re: [ATTW-L] Recommendations on usability/UX software?

I agree with Tharon that Morae is still the go-to for excellence in empirical usability assessments. The real-time coding capacity and post-test analysis with Morae is unmatched.

That being said, in my intro to usability assessment UG course, I've begun to move away from Morae for a couple of reasons. First, the lack of updating makes me want to have a plan B in place for they day when Morae stops being functional. Second, I realized that few of my tech comm students are going to have access to Morae outside of the university. Therefore, while I still train students on Morae, I have begun to accept assessments that take a more DIY approach.

Something of a middle ground is Silverback, which has the drawback that it is only Mac-compatible. It is not nearly as robust at Morae. But it allows real-time "marking" via an Apple remote (actual coding has to take place after the fact). I've been relatively happy with this free/cheap product for an intro to usability assessment class.

----------------------------------------

Dr. Erin Friess

Associate Professor

Technical Communication

University of North Texas

erin.friess at unt.edu<mailto:erin.friess at unt.edu>

________________________________
From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org<mailto:attw-l-bounces at attw.org>> on behalf of Tharon Howard <tharon at clemson.edu<mailto:tharon at clemson.edu>>
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2019 12:08 PM
To: Pam Estes Brewer; Jonathan Arnett; attw-l at attw.org<mailto:attw-l at attw.org>
Subject: [EXT] Re: [ATTW-L] Recommendations on usability/UX software?

While I understand Pam and Jonathan's concerns about Morae, and I absolutely agree that purchasing the Morae suite in the quantities often required to service large undergraduate courses can be cost-prohibitive, I would still argue that Morae continues to be the best tool for students to learn about usability testing if you want them to learn how to do it rigorously.  The problem I see with students using Zoom (which is what I use in combination with Morae, btw) or with them using GoToMeeting (which is what I used to use) is that students aren't encouraged to learn to code properly.  I'm sure Pam and others have solutions for this, but what I see far, far too often when web conferencing tools are used as "usability tools" is that students learn how to go on "bug-fests" and "fishing expeditions" where they observe users thinking aloud as they perform tasks, but they only capture selected comments users make.  They don't, in other words, tag all the comments and code them using a rigorous approach like those recommended by Johnny Saldana or Strauss & Corbin. On the other hand, because tagging user's comments is baked into the core of Morae's architecture, teaching student Morae at the same time as they're learning how to conduct think-aloud protocols makes coding a fundamental part of students' experience. So even though TechSmith has decided that Morae has reached the end of it's life-cycle, I would still recommend it if your institution can afford it.

Best,

Tharon

From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org<mailto:attw-l-bounces at attw.org>> On Behalf Of Pam Estes Brewer
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2019 8:51 AM
To: Jonathan Arnett <jonathan.arnett at gmail.com<mailto:jonathan.arnett at gmail.com>>; attw-l at attw.org<mailto:attw-l at attw.org>
Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] Recommendations on usability/UX software?

I'll add to Jonathan's post.  We have Morae at Mercer and don't need all of the affordances most of the time. In addition, Techsmith is no longer updating Morae, so I think the last update was in 2011.

Recently, I and my students have used Zoom, which has affordances very similar to those of GoToMeeting.  With Zoom, if you save your recording to the cloud, you also get a text transcript with the audio, video, and screen recording.  In addition, Zoom and GoToMeeting enable remote testing, and Morae does not.

Best,

Pam

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________________________________

From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org<mailto:attw-l-bounces at attw.org>> on behalf of Jonathan Arnett <jonathan.arnett at gmail.com<mailto:jonathan.arnett at gmail.com>>
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2019 6:09:21 PM
To: attw-l at attw.org<mailto:attw-l at attw.org>
Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] Recommendations on usability/UX software?

Usedtabe, the standard answer was Morae, but you don't really need that much firepower. I recently spoke with a UX pro who recommended GoToMeeting. It works on desktop, tablet, and mobile; you can record the user's screen while viewing the stream on your own computer; and the program outputs MP4 files. Plus, the pricing is reasonable; the basic version is $14 a month, and the "pro" version with unlimited recording is $29 a month.

Jonathan

E. Jonathan Arnett
Assistant Professor of Technical Communication

Department of Technical Communication & Interactive Design

Kennesaw State University

On 4/19/2019 11:20 AM, Madson, Michael wrote:

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Good morning, hive mind:

At my institution, we are proposing to buy usability/UX software tools for our computer lab. We are hoping to capture, in real time, how students approach high-stakes tests, how students and faculty write, and how patients interact with health education materials online.

Any recommendations on usability/UX software tools?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

Michael

Michael Madson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Center for Academic Excellence / Writing Center
Medical University of South Carolina
843-792-3474
madson at musc.edu<mailto:madson at musc.edu>

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