I’m not sure a usability researcher could imagine a world where there was no heavy (and expensive) testing equipment that had to be lugged around from different testing locations. Well the folks over at Clearleft may have up come with some new software that will make all that a far and distant memory. Researchers may soon enjoy a world where they can just grab their Mac and run to a testing location with no extra equipment. With the Silverback Application, faulty equipment and canceled or postponed testing sessions may be eliminated, which could be a huge savings of time…and we all know that time is money.

What is the Silverback Application?

The Silverback Application is a usability testing application for web designers, developed by the UK-based design team. It has the capability of turning any location into a user testing site by utilizing the hardware on a Mac. The application is in semi-private beta testing as of yet, but is expected to revolutionize the world of usability testing.

What does the Silverback Application do?

The Silverback application eliminates the need for researchers to have multiple set up steps when conducting usability testing. It utilizes the Mac’s built in camera and microphone during testing. The application simply records while a user is testing your interface. When finished testing, the Siverback application produces a handy picture-in-picture Quicktime video, allowing the researcher to see the entire interface being tested, the reactions of the user being tested, as well as audio recorded on the microphone. The Silverback application also records every click the user makes with little circles overlaid on the Quicktime video.

Who wants to use the Silverback Application?

The Silverback Application is great for anyone who wants to know the habits of users on their website. It’s is also excellent for on-the-go testing, since testing locations will now be available wherever your Mac can go.

The question now turns to who will be on the leading edge of this new technology. Maybe someday in the near future, the days of lugging around bags full of easy-to-malfunction test equipment could be a thing of the past. If that’s the case, user experience testing should become even more efficient, making clients, researchers and participants very happy.