Ovo Logger 7.0 - Implementation
Ovo Logger is intended to support any user testing methodology or usability lab configuration. The diagrams on this page illustrate the fundamental principles of Ovo Logger's data and A/V architecture.
Ovo Logger software runs on a dedicated computer which is usually located in the Control Room of a usability lab. The Ovo Logger computer will be referred to as the OLC, for purposes of discussion on this page.
Audio/Video Layer
The following diagram illustrates the hub-like nature of the Ovo Logger computer (OLC) in the overall audio/video (A/V) layout of a usability lab.
The OLC is where all recording occurs for camera video, computer video, and audio. No recording processes occur on the user computer; this can be important if system responsiveness is a factor in your user testing, or if your application has specific graphics requirements.
The OLC can record video of any format, from any operating system, at almost any resolution and frame rate. Basically, if you can display a video feed on a monitor, the OLC can record it.
Besides recording video, the OLC also streams video to remote observers who cannot travel to the usability lab to observer the test.
An additional A/V role that the OLC plays is to provide A/V control over functions like camera pan/tilt/zoom and video distribution. This function is not depicted on the above flowchart.
Data Layer
In the data layer, the OLC is the hub, just like in the A/V layer.
Data stream from the user computer to be interleaved with manually-logged observations on the OLC. Logging can occur on the OLC, on the "satellite" computers of team members who are attending the test in lab, or on the remote computers of team members who are remotely observing the test.
An important feature of the overall Ovo Studios solution is that after the test, data processing may occur on any Windows-based computer running the Ovo Logger Freeware. This frees your lab and the OLC for subsequent testing.
System Requirements
As you might imagine, the demands placed upon the OLC increase as the number of video inputs and remote loggers/ observers increase. Ovo Studios staff will specify the OLC computer requirements to meet the processing needs of your usability lab system.