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What's new in The Observer 5
New mobile solutions
If you need to be mobile during observations but require detailed coding and analysis, you can now connect your digital camcorder to a notebook directly via a FireWire interface (IEEE1394). Simply record video on a camcorder at any location and code the video on your notebook.
The software lets you control the camcorder during coding. Get results quickly by using the built-in analysis tools to calculate frequencies, durations, sequences, reliability and much more. You can also encode directly to a media file and create highlights without any complex video editing.
The Observer® 5.0 offers a complete mobile and compact solution for on-site research.
Generate highlight clips!
By connecting a camcorder or VCR to your PC or notebook, you can easily create digital media files. With the enhanced Video Highlights Module, an add-on to The Observer Video-Pro, you can now create highlight clips directly from within The Observer, without needing an external video editing tool. All it takes is a few key strokes. First, search your observational data for specific events. Each time a particular combination is found, the associated video episode can be added to a Video Play List and used to generate a highlights clip.
Score from DVD!
You can use DVDs to archive your video, and with The Observer 5.0 you can also score directly from DVD media. This way you can benefit from the large capacity of DVD, which allows you to store high-quality video files. The Observer 5.0 can use DVDs created with consumer range DVD recorders, and the DVD you create can be read by a standard DVD player.
Automatic encoding of media files
Still stuck with piles of VHS tapes? Life is much easier when you use digital media files. You can create media files by using an encoder in your PC or notebook. By using a special MPEG-2 encoder, the encoding process can be controlled from within The Observer. When you start the observation, video capture starts automatically. The event log is synchronized with the video, which improves the timing accuracy. When you finish your observation, video capture stops automatically as well.
Report Generator: creating a report has never been this easy!
Need to present your results immediately after finishing your observation? With the Report Generator, a new add-on module to The Observer 5.0, creating a customized report is easy. Depending on your needs, The Observer can automatically add information about the set-up, methods or results, plus relevant video snapshots, your own logo, or other references. This is especially useful if you need to produce many reports with the same layout, or if your reports must meet company standards. By letting you create and use your own templates, as well as customize individual reports, The Observer makes the task of producing reports a breeze!
Improved Screen Capture Module for high quality screen recording
For many usability professionals, it is essential that details recorded in screen captures are clear and legible. You can guarantee this by using the Screen Capture Module, an add-on module to The Observer. This software-based solution for screen capturing offers superb quality, allowing you to read exactly what the test person has been doing. Starting and stopping the screen capture can be controlled from within The Observer, so you do not need to worry about synchronization issues. The additional benefit of this solution is that you no longer need a mixer or scan converter. With the new and improved Screen Capture Module you need only one PC to do both the encoding and the analysis. So, it’s now as easy to carry as it is to use!
Dual MPEG encoding
Want to improve the quality of your observations by using two video images? The Dual MPEG Encoder, another new add-on module for The Observer, allows you to record and score from two video streams at once. Both video signals are saved in separate media files. The Observer also ensures that the encoding is synchronized and starts automatically at the very moment you start your observation, so you do not have to worry about timing issues. For details about specific hardware or software requirements, you can contact your sales person.
What else is new in The Observer?
 | We have added a back-up and restore function. This makes it much easier to transfer and distribute your Observer projects. |
| You can now connect your VCR directly to your PC or notebook using the FireWire interface, present on most modern VCRs. This creates an observation system with less hardware that is much easier to use. |
| If you use the Psion Workabout to collect observational data with The Observer Mobile, the process of transferring configuration files to the handheld device, as well as copying observational data files to the PC, has become much easier. |
| We have enhanced the wide range of data selection and analysis features. For example, you can now easily create nesting conditions for analyzing events by subject/behavior combination, or calculate the number of times a certain behavior occurs across a series of observations. |
What was new in The Observer 4.1
This document gives an overview of the most important new functions in this
major upgrade. The Observer 4.1 can be used with Windows 95, 98SE, 2000, NT and
XP.
Configuration
Event recording
| The length of the element names has been doubled to 16 characters. This
allows you to define elements that are clear and concise to all researchers
working on the same project.
| When scoring live with The Observer Basic, you can now use all the search
functions that were previously only available in The Observer Video-Pro
version. Whether you are scoring live or from video, you can search for
subjects, behaviors, text strings or time codes.
| For collecting data in the field, especially in rough conditions, you can
use a handheld computer like the Psion Workabout. The Observer Mobile gives
you a flexible solution for all observation conditions and situations.
Please note that in this case length of element names is still 4 characters.
| In The Observer we have integrated the configuration, event recorder, and
the analysis functions into one software package. As a result, you can
perform all functions without jumping between different packages.
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Analysis
| Before starting the analysis, you can select the data you want to analyze.
Data selection in now unified, meaning it can apply to all analysis
functions. The advantage of this is that you only have to select data once.
| After you have selected data for analysis, four different analysis
functions are available: the Time-Event View, Elementary Statistics,
Reliability Analysis and Lag Sequential Analysis. All the analysis functions
are now integrated into one application. So no more waiting for the analysis
module to start up and no confusion about where you are in the program. |
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| Each output is stored in an analysis report and is presented in a
spreadsheet window. Data can be divided over multiple tabbed sheets, which
are fully customizable. Variables like observations, subjects, behaviors,
modifiers and intervals can be presented row-wise, column-wise, or even on
different sheets. Once you have created a report, you can export it or
simply copy and paste to another program for inclusion in presentations or
for further analysis.
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Data selection
| The data selection is presented in clear, spreadsheet like views that
include all elements forming the data selection. This gives a better
overview of the selection. |
| Within the data selection you can select and sort by independent
variables, observations, subjects, behaviors, modifiers and intervals. It is
also possible to group independent variables, observations, subjects,
behaviors and modifiers. This way you can easily run an analysis in which
for instance a selection of behaviors is grouped.
| Use independent variable values to group observations.
| You can define as many intervals as you require based on events and/or
time criteria (specific start and end times).
| You can rename and truncate subject, behavior and modifier names.
| The data selection checker verifies that the data selection is consistent.
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Time-Event View
| The Time-Event View combines the Time-Event Table and the Time-Event Plot.
It gives a chronological listing of all events in a table, or a graphical
representation of observational data. Both within the table and the plot,
you can sort the columns or traces by observation, subject and behavioral
class. This makes it easy to compare variables and detect behavioral
patterns. |
| The Time-Event Table gives the durations of each state, for direct use in
log survivor analysis.
| The Time-Event Plot has a 'floating legend': if you hover over a color in
the plot, a ToolTip shows the name of the behavior it represents.
| You can change the colors and patterns in the Time-Event Plot by clicking
on the color in the legend. |
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Reliability Analysis
| New parameters:
 | Cohen's Kappa
| Pearson's R
| Percentage of agreement
| Index of concordance |
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| Improved algorithm for linking datasets based on onset times, overlap and
sequence.
| Calculations can be based on frequency, duration, frequency/sequence and
duration/sequence.
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In case of linking data files, the analysis report can be presented as a
confusion matrix.
Elementary Statistics
| This analysis includes a number of new statistics: median, confidence
intervals and frequency rates (per minute). |
Lag Sequential Analysis
| You can use higher lag orders, and even negative lags: from -9 to +9.
| Transition matrices can be generated per subject, behavioral class or
combination of subject and behavioral class. As a result, it is now much
easier to look at the transitions of behaviors within a class.
| Calculate transition frequency and transition probability.
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Last updated: 29 November 2003
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Exeter Software 
