Portable usability lab

The Noldus portable usability lab is the complete solution for on-site usability testing. You can easily study Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in your test participant’s workspace or office. Designed for easy transportation, our portable lab fits in one Carry On Case and can make all the difference in your behavioral research.

• Perform field research studies.
• Synchronous recordings of Human-Computer Interactions, video, and audio.
• High resolution screen capturing, operating system independent.
• Designed for traveling.
• Quick set-up.
• Cost-effective.

Studying Human Factors on-site
If you really want to know what happens at the workplace, study it on-site using our portable usability lab. You can make screen captures, record video, score tasks, usability hits, and context details.

Designed for traveling
The entire lab weighs approximately 11 kg (25 lbs) and is built into a rugged Carry On Case. Noldus portable labs are specially designed for traveling; as carry-on luggage on an airplane, or put it in the trunk of your car.

Quick set-up
A Noldus portable lab is set up under 10 minutes. Once you have arrived on site, you can start working quickly! As all the equipment works together perfectly, you only have to connect the wires and set up the camera. 

User-friendly
A Noldus portable lab is a user-friendly package, consisting of high quality components to guarantee excellent results. Using this equipment can save you valuable time in an on-site observation. And less time means earlier results against less cost!

Typical components
Our portable lab contains all the equipment you need to make on-site usability recordings, including a laptop, a webcam, and a digital screen capture device. 

As in all Noldus labs, The Observer^® XT software is at the core of the portable lab. It allows you to add comments, mark tasks, and score usability hits during screen capture and video recording. The Observer XT helps you to maximize the value of live or video recorded sessions. It is combined with Media Recorder, our innovative tool for synchronous video recording. As an addition to this portable lab, you can order an extra license of The Observer XT and an event logging keyboard. These additions enable you to code your recordings back in your office or lab while your colleagues use the field lab for recording.

uASQ
This questionnaire tool which enhances The Observer XT with direct feedback from your test participant during a live observation is a typical part of the portable usability lab. uASQ runs on the computer of the test participant. Questions appear on this computer and answers are sent back to your laptop. The questionnaire can be repeated several times during the test.

Components
Carry On Case with: 

• laptop
• The Observer XT
• Media Recorder
• uASQ
• webcam
• digital screen capture device
• participant microphone
• headphones
• cables and power supply

Optional components:

• tripod
• 1 extra license of The Observer XT
• event logging keyboard 
  
  

Screen capture device
With the screen capture device, you can easily follow what your test participant is doing on his computer. This device has a high frame rate and provides you with high quality images of the screen at which the test participant is looking. The device is plugged into the test pc to capture the image on the screen. This image is recorded with Media Recorder along with the video. After recording with Media Recorder, you can import the video of the test participant in The Observer XT and see all the different elements on the same timeline. In The Observer XT you can code behaviors and create a video highlight clip.

Modular design
A Noldus portable lab is designed as a modular platform allowing you to add additional equipment such as a heart rate monitor, an eye tracker, or a mobile device camera. We also offer many devices you can add to the lab. Of course you can also add your own tools.

Extensive analysis
To get the most of your research data, use The Observer XT for calculating usability metrics, visualizing processes, and statistical analysis. The Observer XT also allows you to select and export interesting highlight clips of video and data for presentational purposes.

Full support
All our labs come with a three year Basic service contract and complete installation. An in-depth training or a Plus of Platinum service contract are optional. If you experience any challenges, our support department is there to help. In short, we help you get the best out of your behavioral research!