Welcome beta testers!

A very warm welcome to all trustedlocal.com beta testers. Your contribution to this project will be immeasurable, I am very grateful to you all for any time you can give.

Many thanks,
Alex

Alexander O'Brien
Founder, trustedlocal.com

 

Updated Tuesday 30 July 2008

To ensure we can get the maximum from the time you put into testing, please follow these steps:

1. Before looking at the site install BB Flashback Express - it really is essential that from your first look at the site we can see how you click around the site. This small piece of software will record everything that is displayed on your screen. Please see below for installation instructions.  An alternative is to setup a camcorder behind your shoulder such that it has a view of your screen.

2. Plug in a microphone or headset and webcam (preferably). If you use a laptop these often have microphones and even webcams built in. Your webcam might even have a microphone built in! If you don't have either of these let me know and I'll send one straight through to you.

3. Launch BB Flashback Express Recorder,

  • click 'Record a new movie',
  • [display settings] click 'next',
  • [sound settings] speak into your microphone to make sure the computer is picking you up and click 'next',
  • [webcam] check this is pointing at your face and click 'next',
  • [record mode] click 'next'
  • [more options] click 'next',
  • [recording area] click 'Finish'
  • Click 'Record' when you're ready to start.

4. Do a quick test recording - don't look at trustedlocal yet, just spend a couple of minutes playing around on another website. Send this file to me and I'll confirm to you that everything is ok.

5. Test away according to the individual test plan I've agreed with you. When finished testing stop the screen recording, save the file to your desktop. As you are going please speak out any concerns you have with any aspects of the website.

6. Upload the saved screen recorder file to my ftp server, see my email for the address, username and password. Windows XP users should be able to do this by putting my server address into your 'my documents' address bar. Or you can use a proper FTP client like filezilla for this - see bottom of this page for instructions.

 

Questions

Why do I need a microphone and webcam if the software records everything that happens on the screen?

Internet sites often commission external agencies to find people to bring in for testing. These people sit in front of a computer with one person there to monitor and help where necessary. Everything that happnes on the screen is captured for the web development team. A video camera is trained on their face to understand whne they are having to concentrate, when something confuses them, when something excites them. Microphones record any conversation they are having with their minder (or themselves!).

We are doing things a bit differently and using BB Flashback express combined to record the screen output, webcam and sound so that we can perform necessary analysis and so make improvements to the site.

If you don't have a webcam or micophone please get in touch and I'll send one through to you to keep.

What will happen to the files?

I will study the films, involving the web developers where necessary, to look for areas where we can improve the 'user experience'. So make things clearer, change wordings, move things around, change processes completely; basically whatever is required.

Don't worry, they won't be shared publicly, so feel free to say or do what you like!

What do you want me to do while testing?

Initially please follow the test plan I have given you. Try to use the website as you would were it any other website you stumbled across. Please speak aloud any comments you have, no need to write anything down. Post test feel free to drop me an email with your overall feelings, constructive criticism definitely the order of the day please!

After you've done this any additional testing you are able to will be appreciated, please continue to send recordings through even if you think they have nothing useful in them. Believe me just seeing people playing around with the site is tremendously beneficial.

 

Any problems give me a call!

My status

 

BB Flashback Express

This is a clever piece of software that saves everything you do on screen to a video file which I can then replay to learn about the areas of the website which are less clear.  There is a 30 day free trial available which is how you are able to use it free of charge.

Installing BB Flashback Express

If you are uncomfortable installing this software please do not do any testing but contact me for alternatives. Thanks.

a) In Internet Explorer go to the download page for bb flashback express.

b) Click 'download'. bb_express_download

c) Click 'run'.  bb express run

d) Clck 'run' again. bb security

e) The install window will open. Click 'next', tick to accept the licence agreement and click 'next' again, then click next four times more to start installation.

Launching BB Flashback Express

Go to your start button, click 'All Programs', then 'Blueberry Software' then 'BB Flashback 2 Exress' then finally 'BB FlashBack Express 2 Recorder'.

 

Installing Filezilla (FTP software to transfer the recorded files)

In Internet Explorer, click here, then click run three times, agree to the license agreement, then just click next throught the next steps and finally click 'install'.