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Research Update: Audio/Video Testing

Through the research in Open Exhibits we hope to better understand how visitors interact with multitouch surfaces. Currently, we’re prepping a component of the research where we will audio and video record visitors as they interact with a multitouch table within the museum exhibit. Researchers along with Ideum technical staff recently starting testing the audio/video data collection equipment and protocols at Ideum’s headquarters. There don’t seem to be any major problems in picking up the audio, so up next is an on-site test at one of the partner museums.

We are interested in understanding the interactions that happen at the multitouch surfaces; interactions between the visitor and the multitouch surface, and verbal and gestural interactions between visitors. By analyzing the behavior and dialogue from the videos, we expect to get information that would help us answer the following kinds of questions: How long do visitors stay at the table? How do they physically interact with the table?  How long does it take them to adjust to using the table? What are people talking about while they’re at the table, and to whom are they talking?