Ludus – Observatory of Digital Interactions
Ludus
Ludus laboratory gets its name from the latin word that has various meanings related to organized forms of play. Ludus is a place for learning about and studying of playful interactions with technology. As such it is useful for many other purposes such as usability testing, studies on technology-mediated collaboration, etc.
Ludus consists of three parts:
- Block 1 (consists of a control room and 5 participant cubicles)
- Block 2 (consists of a control room and 5 participant cubicles)
- Open space (can be used for VR/XR studies or whatever research that requires up to 8x12 meters of space).
Each part can be reserved and used independently. For studies with 6-10 isolated participants one can book blocks 1 and 2 simultaneously.
Photo: Poika IsokoskiWalls between the 5 cubicles in each block can be removed to generate a 6x2 meter room with one entrance.
Reservations are made in the tuni Outlook calendar. Each of the three parts has its own reservation calendar.
In addition to the reservable spaces, Ludus has a computer room and a storage room. The computers for the cubicles are in the computer room with long cables for USB and display from the cubicles.
The recording apparatus for camera and audio feeds as well as screen capture from the cubicles is in the control room for Block 1. IT can be conveniently used with cubicles 1-5 and 1-10. However, cameras and microphones can also be moved to elsewhere in the space if synchronized multi-camera video recordings are needed.
In the control room of Block 1 the camera and screen capture views can be observed while they are recorded. The recording and analysis system is based on Noldus Obeserver XT. Additional sensors can be connected. Some researchers have, for example, recorded pulse and skin conductivity data in synchrony with the audio and video recordings using wireless sensors from Biopac.
