Video-cued Recall

Video-cued recall is a method for data collection, which has been successfully implemented in the evaluation of many interaction design projects. This method can help to reduce the kind of selective and subjective recounts of participant experiences and is useful when collecting verbal data focussed on human experience and interaction¹. While video-cued recall is a versatile method and can be adapted to suit a variety of interactive projects, keep in mind that it’s quite a labour-intensive method and requires some careful planning. The basic elements of the method are as follows:

• The evaluation environment and participants/users are selected – these should both mimic their intended ‘real world’ context as closely as possible
• Depending on the project, participants are fitted with head or body mounted video recording devices; or devices are placed in/around the evaluation environment in such a way that they do not intrude or distract from the participant experience.
• Participants then experience the project within the evaluation environment, which is recorded using the equipment.
• After the participant experience, recording equipment is removed from the participant and video footage is transferred to a playback device (such as a laptop).
• The participant is then interviewed while the video footage of their experience is played back to them.
• This interview is also video recorded, ensuring that the participant and screen are both in frame as you’ll want to refer to what on-screen footage the participant is discussing.

Activity

Before you start

In our experience, video-cued recall is well suited to gathering participant data with projects that are somewhat technically resolved, such as a working prototype. We’ve founded that using video-cued recall with functional prototypes takes some of the pressure off worrying about technical issues that might arise when working with early or lo-fidelity prototypes and allows the design or research team to focus on managing logistics. Some key questions to address before implementing video-cued recall with your project include:

• How many cameras will you need to effectively record users experiencing your project?
• Where and how will these cameras be placed?
• Are there ambient light and sound issues to take into consideration?
• How will you efficiently transfer these video recordings to a playback device?
• When interviewing your participants, how will these interviews be recorded?

We suggest running a mock test of your intended data collection setup to help work through any potential logistical issues and make adjustments as required.

Activity steps

1. Setup your evaluation environment, prepare your interview questions and recruit your participants.
2. If relevant, brief your participants on what is expected of them and provide enough context to ensure that their experience of your project accurately reflects how they would experience it in a ‘real-world’ context of use.
3. Begin your evaluation. Depending on your project, this could take anywhere from 5-30 minutes. While participants are experiencing your project, you may take this opportunity to make your own observations and note these down for discussion in the following interview.
4. Transfer video of the participant/s to the playback device.
5. Conduct the interview and use your questions as a loose structure. These questions should address any key concerns, guided by your project aims, while also allowing the participant an opportunity to expand upon the discussion. Use the video of the participant experiencing the project to address specific usability and experiential elements of the project. Ask them what they were thinking and feeling at specific, relevant moments of their experience – this is where the video ‘cues’ their recall.
6. Ensure you keep copies of all video files – we suggest developing a rigorous archiving system as this will help you keep track of all your data.
7. Transcripts of these interviews, while valuable data, can be difficult to interpret without sufficient context. This is where the video recordings of the interviews become invaluable. Depending on how you intend to use your data, you might include additional context cues within transcripts or timecodes within transcripts to quickly navigate to specific sections of the interview video.

Notes

Students within the Creative Industries Faculty have access to the faculty Equipment Loan Centre (ELC), which is located on the ground floor of Z6 building at the Kelvin Grove campus. The ELC allow students to borrow out equipment to use for their studies, which includes DSLR cameras, video cameras, GoPro’s, tripods and more. If you intend to use video-cued recall to aid in your assessment work, discuss with your lecturer if borrowing from the ELC will suit your needs as this is a great resource available to you. Do keep in mind that equipment availability is subject to demand and loan periods vary depending on student and unit needs.

Creative industries equipment loan centre

• Location: Z6 Block, Level 1
• Email: ci-elc@qut.edu.au
• Phone: 07 3138 8121

References

1. Miller, Anne. 2004. ‘Video-Cued Recall: Its Use in a Work Domain Analysis’. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 48 (15): 1643–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193120404801503.