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MAXLab | |
MAXLab is the first laboratory in Valencia (Spain) that offers a complete set of services for software testing; from Test Process Improvement consultancies, functional and stress test projects, to accessibility and usability inspections and testing. The laboratory was founded by Dr. Tanja E.J. Vos, director of the SQUAC (Software Quality, Usability, Accessibility, and Correctness) research group of the Instituto Tecnológico de Informática (ITI). ITI is a private non-profit institute, linked with the Technical University of Valencia. This special position allows the SQUAC group to participate in innovative scientific research projects at regional, national, and European level, as well as offering off-the-shelf and custom made testing solutions for Spanish enterprises. The flexible lay-out of the laboratory makes it possible to create a wide range of testing environments as natural as possible, for testing different sorts of hardware and software. For example, we are able to test software applications in an office environment, educational material for kids in a school environment, and television remote controls in a sitting room environment. Almost everything is possible. | |
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In the observation room we have installations prepared for analyzing the usability tests by our expert team, as well as for organizing meetings and presentations for our customers and invited development teams. The cameras in the test rooms are connected to the closed video circuit, which allows us to effectively observe the users’ behavior from the control room. Video signals are transmitted to a video mixer and to a digital video recorder. Furthermore, the audio signals are recorded digitally. Data are collected and analyzed with use of The Observer XT. The recorded videos can be sampled in various settings.
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Our Noldus’ portable usability lab offers us the flexibility of performing in-house usability testing for customers that experience difficulties running or using their product outside the company. With an easy to handle suitcase in each hand and a laptop bag over the shoulder, our usability experts travel throughout Spain, carrying a state-of-the-art usability laboratory with them. This includes everything necessary for a usability study, such as tripods, cameras, video editing hardware, and an observation laptop computer for scoring and analyzing. Setting up the laboratory takes less then an hour, and a typical 10-user usability study is normally done in as little as two days.
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