Comments on: Silverback : Usability Testing Software For The Mac

By: Gustavo Gawry

Gustavo Gawry — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:23:59 +0000

BBFlashback is way better option for usability tests then camtasia… and is much cheaper… only 39 bucks

http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/BBFlashBackExpress/Home.aspx

By: Nate Klaiber

Nate Klaiber — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:38:26 +0000

@Will
This was a review of Silverback, not a comparison of all options out there. If this were a comparison, then I would have listed PC alternatives. It isn’t about other alternatives, it’s about giving more information and insight into Silverback.

I appreciate the feedback, but comparing wasn’t really the point or purpose of this article.

Thank you for the information on Camtasia. I don’t have experience with it, but can now look into it further.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:34:55 +0000

It’s a great suite, but I have only successfully exported a single video, and that was at the lowest quality. Five other sessions all fail during export. Not because of size either. For this reason alone I’d at least like to be able to WATCH the videos from within Silverback before exporting.

It’d also be nice to edit session names and so forth, along with other usability features… considering the nature of the app IS indeed usability. :)

By: Will Myddelton

Will Myddelton — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:39:51 +0000

I always find it amazing how much press in the web design community Silverback gets! It’s like no one’s done this before…

For all those PC users out there, that if you want an alternative to Silverback you should try Camtasia studio. It does the same thing. I am in no way affiliated with them. You can run a 30 day trial, it records webcam video and mic audio alongside the screengrab. It retails at $299 which is a lot more expensive, but still won’t break the bank….

Camtasia is not as simple, sexy or fashionable as Silverback.

But I’ve used both and personally think Camtasia is better. Video export is (much much much) quicker, many more options for output (Flash video!), more options for recording too (record only part of the window for example) and you can use it to stream your session to others.

I reiterate….Silverback is great! But this is for all my UK-public-sector-working-on-PCs-with-no-hope-of-lovely-Macs brothers and sisters out there!

(and shame on the original article for not including a “PC” alternative!)

By: Simon Mackie

Simon Mackie — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:09:14 +0000

@ John - Thanks for pointing that out - I’m normally logged in so I don’t have to pass the arithmetic question. I’m just testing it out with this comment (not logged in) and it seems to work OK for me. Anyone else having problems?

By: Nate Klaiber

Nate Klaiber — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:03:28 +0000

@Mike
The issues you mentioned were the main reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5. Having to export the videos is somewhat cumbersome, but unless they have a video editor built in, I imagine the process is pretty tough, as you would have to render the preview to show the screen + video/audio + clicks. I, too, wish I could just export specific projects for later review - but for now I don’t mind keeping it all in Silverback.

The biggest thing to remember with this is that it is a version 1 release. I look forward to see how they address some of these issues with future releases. As they mention on their website, you can track status of some of the items in their Get Satisfaction account.

By: Mike Palmer

Mike Palmer — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:46:51 +0000

There are some issues with Silverback.

1. Testing web apps on a Mac inherently is a problem, since most people aren’t familiar with the Mac interface. We were doing a test here in Taiwan using Parallels to run IE7 and it worked ok, save two things: they didn’t know how to switch input modes between English and Chinese and Expose kept screwing them up (big tip there: turn off Expose before your tests).

2. You have to export the videos before you can watch them which is quite time-consuming (especially on my 18-month-old Macbook). I would like to be able to watch them in Silverback first before deciding to render or delete.

3. I can’t save / export an entire Silverback project, videos and all. I really don’t like this because I can’t archive the tests and then delete them off my storage-needy Macbook.

Otherwise, it’s a great product with the (as heavily-stressed above) low price point and generally has made usability testing a reality, not a dream, for small organizations.

By: John Faulds

John Faulds — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:43:06 +0000

It would be nice if there was a Windows version too.

(BTW: whenever I leave a comment on this site, it always tells me I’ve got the maths wrong the first time when I clearly haven’t.)

By: Renee

Renee — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:56:18 +0000

Finally! Something that explains what the heck Silverback is. What an awesome idea to donate a % of the profits to gorillas! Love it. When I get my MAC, I will def. give this a 30 day trial. If I like — I’ll buy!

By: Simon

Simon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:29:17 +0000

Hi Dainis - this is a review of Silverback, the usablity app, not Silverlight, which is what I think you’re probably talking about?