[Georgia Tech][GVU][Research][Search]

I-OBSERVE

I-Observe

Interaction OBServation, Evaluation, Recording and Visualization Environment

I-Observe is an all-inclusive interface usability evaluation environment. It consists of a set of tools designed to facilitate and accelerate the usability evaluation process. The tools support the usability evaluator or analyst by automating a good part of the recording and analysis work.

I-Observe tools consist of:

  • Logging tools to record human-computer interaction. These tools range from event logging to video recording. When multiple recording streams are used, they are automatically synchronized based on their timestamps.
  • Analysis tools to analyze the recorded interaction. These tools go beyond the traditional statistical analyses by looking at usability evaluation needs and implementing both traditional and innovative usability metrics.
  • Visualization tools to display the results of the logs and of the analyses in adequate forms. Our visualization tools include tools to display analysis results in contextual forms, and tools to combine and synchronize various sets of results and logs to replay or assist the analysis of usability sessions. Examples of visualization screen can be found in the I-Observe Visualizations page.
We have I-Observe tools for Microsoft Windows, MacOS, and X Windows systems. Although not every tool is available for every system, the tools all exchange data in the same format. Therefore, you could, for example, record a session on a Macintosh, analyze it on a Unix system, and view the results on a PC running Windows.

I-Observe is being developed by university researchers in a research environment. We listen to our corporate partners to assess their needs, and then our team of scientists (faculty and graduate students) develop and validate new methods and tools to provide novel solutions for our partners. It's a win-win combination: the industrial partners get leading edge tools and methods for usability, and our faculty and students pursue their research interests.

If you are interested in participating as an industrial partner, refer to the GVU Industrial Affiliates Program page. If you are planning on joining us as a graduate student, look at our admissions information or HCI Master's Degree program.