Usage Examples

Recording a study session is initiated by opening a JSON file with session recording definition.

There are 3 ways how to open session recording in the UXC:

• Locally defined session recording
• Remotely controlled session recording
• 3rd party app controlled session recording

In each case, a session definition JSON file must be supplied to the UXC with:

• name of the study and session,
• which devices to use for recording,
• timeline of stimuli for the participant.

See User Manual - Session Recording Definition and Stimuli timeline steps definition sections for further reference. Here, as an example of session, we define it with the following settings:

• Project name (study): Website usability study
• Session name: Pilot session
• Selected devices for recording: eye tracker, webcam, screencast, keyboard and mouse events.
• Welcome step - introduce participant to the experiment, request his or her name before start.
• Pre-session stimuli timeline (devices are not recording data):
  • Eye tracker calibration with default 9-point animation.
• Session stimuli timeline (data is recorded)
  • Instructions for eye tracker validation,
  • Eye tracker data validation with default 9-point animation,
  • Instructions for the actual task in the experiment,
  • User interaction with an application, e.g., a webpage displayed in fullscreen,
  • Questionary.
• Post-session stimuli timeline (devices are not recording data):
  • Thank the participant.

Corresponding Session Definition JSON file for this session can be found in the docs directory in the project's repository.

Locally defined session recording

The basic way how to conduct a user study with UXC is to open the session defintion locally. You can use this approach for testing your session definitions when preparing study.

• Open the Session Definition JSON file in the UXC app using the button in the app window.

• If the selected file contains valid JSON with session definition, it is added to the drop-down menu for session selection and pre-selected.
• Start the recording by pressing the button start.
• Session recording data is stored locally in the app local data folder.
• You can retrieve the data through the recordings tab.
• Double click the recording, or right-click and choose Show, to open directory with session data.
• Take the session data for further analysis in your research.

Note: The recorded data are stored only locally and not synchronized to any UXR web application. However, if you have access to the UXR web application, you can also instruct UXC to upload recorded data to the UXR, even though the session recording was started locally without UXR. To do that, add the UXR recorder in the recorders section of the session defintion. See Data Recorders section for more details.

Remotely controlled session recording

Session definitions can be synchronized to the UXC through the UXR web application. Set up project and session in the UXR with valid session definition JSON file. When the time of the session recording comes and the UXC is running, the session will be available for selection in the UXC app window.

• Define same session recording JSON as for the local recording.
• Add the session definition to your project or session in the UXR web application for management of group studies.
• Schedule session recording and invite participants for the expriment.
• Launch UXC client application on the workstations in the laboratory.
• Session recording definition will be synced from the UXR and prepared for recording. Press start in UXC to open the recording.
• Briefly describe experiment to the participants, during the recording they will be guided by your instructions on the timeline.
• Experiment stimuli timeline will be played for each participant and they will complete the experiment.
• During the experiment, observe recording status of each participants in the dashboard in the UXR web application.
• When a participant completes the experiment, recorded data is synchronized to the UXR web application.
• Download recording data of all participants and experiment sessions from the UXR web application for further analysis in your research.

3rd party app controlled session recording

In advanced scenarios, a 3rd party application may trigger session recording through the local API on the computer with the UXC app running.

• Launch the UXC application and keep it running in background.
• Instruct the study participant to visit your website or open your application.
• The website will connect to the UXC through the local API and will send the session recording definition to start recording. See API Reference section for details.

$ curl -X POST \ 
       -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
       --data '{ /* Session Definition JSON */ }' \
       http://localhost:55555/api/session/recording/open

• Stimulit timeline will be displayed and participant will follow session steps.
• Participant uses your application during the experiment which controls the session recording.
• During the recording, the eye tracking data and status information about session can be accessed through local API.
• The external application can also provide its own data during the recording, through the External Events device API and Session Settings API.
• After the recording, the session data are stored:
  • Locally and can be accessed through the recording tab in the UXC window;
  • In the UXR, if the UXR data recorder was specified in the session definition.
  • In the buffer during the recorded to be retrieved by your application during or after the recording has finished. Use Buffer data recorder in the session definition to enable this option.

See Data Recorders section for more details about how the data is recorded, stored and available.