[IxDA Discuss] Technology for User Research

[Jostein Magnussen]

Not very innovative, but some technology I have used:

USORT/EZCALC from IBM ease of use group
Many bugs but somewhat useful for doing card-sorting with many users
simultanously and getting these wonderful dendograms. Lost 5 of 20
datafiles during one sorting excercise due to bugs. Not around anymore:
http://www.maadmob.net/donna/blog/archives/000595.html

CARDBOARD CARDS
Used in card sorting. Better than software.

CAMTASIA
Screen capturing software from Techsmith. Used in usability testing
before Morae

MORAE
Usability testing screen capturing, note-taking, analyzing and
presentation software from Techsmith. Quite usable and useful

CONFIRMIT www.confirmit.com
Norwegian-produced tool for doing advanced online surveys. Surveymonkey
and 100 others do a good job for less advanced surveys.

ETHNIO
For Remote usability testing. Getting better and better. Closer to the
users own computer, but remote from the user. 

MACROMEDIA BREEZE
The alternative for remote usability testing before Ethnio. A lot more
hassle.

PEN AND PAPER
Maybe the most useful tool. Used when meeting customers face to face,
doing usability tests etc.

Tested, but never used in client projects:

Metrixlab's products: http://www.metrixlab.com/site/uk/home.asp
Mindcanvas: http://www.themindcanvas.com/ (looks good!)
Eye-tracking from Tobii http://www.tobii.se/ (coming soon to our new
usability lab)

Jostein Magnussen
www.netliferesearch.no

------
Rob Tannen wrote:
I'm in the process of looking at the past, present and future of
technology used for conducting user research/usability analysis of
products and digital interfaces.  I'd appreciate any publicly shareable
examples of innovative tools that you may have used/built to conduct
user research.  I may include certain examples for a NYC Usability
Professionals Association presentation scheduled for October.
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