Knowledge Base

Manual Import into The Observer XT

Software Requirements

We recommend installing The Observer XT and the Tobii Pro software on two separate computers.

On the Observer XT Computer:

• The Observer XT 17
• Noldus Tobii Pro Lab File Converter 4.0, to convert Areas of Interest (AOI) data from the Tobii Pro Lab software

On the Tobii Computer:

• Tobii Pro Lab
• Tobii Pro Glasses 3 controller application

If you ordered a new computer from Noldus Information Technology when you purchased the solution, all the software is already installed and tested. If you bought your own computer, you can download the installation files via your MyNoldus account. You can download the Tobii software from the Tobii website.

Workflow

1. Prepare the Tobii Glasses.
2. Run a test and record data with the Tobii Pro Glasses 3 controller application.
3. Import your recordings into Tobii Pro Lab.
4. Export a gaze overlay video from Tobii Pro Lab.
5. Collect AOI data by running assisted mapping.
6. Export AOI data from Tobii Pro Lab.
7. Convert AOI data with the Noldus Tobii Pro Lab File Converter Tool.
8. Export pupil diameter data from Tobii Pro Lab.
9. Import a gaze overlay video into The Observer XT.
10. Import AOI data into The Observer XT.
11. Import pupil diameter data into The Observer XT.

Run a Test

1. Prepare the Tobii Glasses.
2. Brief the participant and ask him/her to sign the consent form.
3. Help the participant to wear the eye tracker glasses.
4. Ask the participant to (1) hold the calibration card at arm's length and (2) look at the center of the circle. Click the Calibrate button in the Tobii Pro Glasses 3 controller application. A message will appear if the calibration is successful.
5. Click the Record button to start the recording and at the end of the test click the Stop button to stop the recording.
6. Remove the SD card from the recording unit and insert it in the Tobii Pro Lab PC.

Import Your Recordings into Tobii Pro Lab

1. Start the Tobii Pro Lab software. The Create New Project tab opens.
2. Click Glasses, enter a name for the project and click Create. The Project Overview window opens.
3. At the top of the screen click Import > Glasses 3 Recordings.
4. Browse to the SD card, open the appropriate data folder and click Select Folder (do not open the meta folder). Check the Date Modified column to see which folder has the data you need. The Glasses Data Import window opens with the list of recordings made in the project.
5. Select the recordings that you want to import and click Import. Click OK when the import is ready. The recordings will be listed in the Project Overview.
6. Check that the percentage of gaze samples is at least 70–80%.
7. Double-click a recording in the Project Overview to open it. You will now see a timeline with the scene video with the participant's gaze overlay.

Export a Gaze Overlay Video from Tobii Pro Lab

1. Open the appropriate project and click on the Recordings button on the toolbar on the left.
2. Double-click the recording from which you want to export the gaze replay video.
3. On the left-hand side of the timeline you will find two small yellow markers. Click and hold the right-hand marker and drag it to the end of the video to select the entire gaze replay video for export. Select the interval that you want to export.
4. Click the circle in the middle of the yellow bar and choose Export Video Clip.
5. Select the location where you want to save the video.
6. Enter a name for the video and select an appropriate video resolution. Then click Export.
7. The Activities icon at the top right of your screen shows the progress.
8. Copy the gaze overlay video to the computer with The Observer XT to import it.

Collect AOI Data - Run Assisted Mapping

Areas of Interest (AOIs) are useful in tests where participants look at a stationary set-up, for instance, at a shelf in a supermarket. You can give test participants the assignment to search for a certain product in a supermarket or a book in a bookshop.

1. Use your mobile phone to make a photo of the shelf containing the product that you want your participants to search for, and transfer the photo to the Tobii computer.
2. In Tobii Pro Lab, open your project and your recording.
3. In the Gaze Data field on the right side of your screen, open the Snapshots tab and click the plus icon to add a snapshot.
4. Browse to the photo of the shelf, select it and click Open. The photo will appear as a thumbnail in the Gaze Data field.
5. Enable the Show Snapshot switch in the Gaze Data field. You will see the photo next to the recording.
6. From the Analyze menu select AOI Tool and use one of the Draw icons at the top of your screen to draw your areas of interest. Make sure to give them logical names such as left-upper, left-middle, left-bottom, right-upper, right-middle, and right-bottom in the case of a bookshelf with compartments.
7. Move the yellow sliders on the timeline to indicate the portion of the recording for which you want to run assisted mapping.
8. Click the circle in the middle of the yellow bar and select Run Assisted Mapping.
9. The Activities icon at the top right of your screen shows the progress. When the mapping is ready, you can play the recording and view the mapping on the photo.

Export AOI Data from Tobii Pro Lab

1. In Tobii Pro Lab, from the Analyze menu select Data Export.
2. Select all parameters to export. The list includes:
   • AOI Hit: fixations in an AOI.
   • AOI Visit: all data between the start of the first fixation inside an AOI and the end of the last fixation in the same AOI.
   • AOI Glance: the data from the first saccade leading into an AOI until the last fixation inside the AOI, including all data such as saccades, blinks, and invalid gaze data.
   You can select AOI Hit, AOI Visit, and AOI Glance, or make a selection of one or two of these parameters.
3. In the Settings field on the right side of your screen, from the Format drop-down list select Tobii Pro Lab Output (.plof).
4. From the Timestamp Precision drop-down list select milliseconds.
5. In the Data Selection field:
   • Recordings: select from which recordings you want to export the data.
   • Times of Interest: select Snapshot Gaze Data.
   • Snapshots: select the appropriate snapshot name.
   • Areas of Interest: select all areas of interest that you have drawn, or make a selection.
6. Click the Export Files button at the top of your screen, browse to the folder in which you want to save the data and click Select Folder.
7. A subfolder will be created with the name Data Export - <name of the project>. Click OK.
8. Copy the AOI data (*.plof) to the Observer XT PC.

Convert AOI Data

To be able to import the AOI data into The Observer XT, the export file must be converted into a format that can be read by The Observer XT.

1. Open the Noldus Tobii Pro Lab File Converter Tool.
2. Browse to the folder with your export files (*.plof), select one or more files and click Open. To select multiple files, click the file names while holding the Ctrl or Shift key, then click Open. A message confirms that multiple files are selected.
3. Select the destination folder in which you want to save the converted files.
4. Click Convert. A Conversion Is Ready message will appear when the data have been converted to text format.
5. Copy the data files to the computer with The Observer XT to import them.

Export Pupil Diameter Data from Tobii Pro Lab

1. In Tobii Pro Lab, from the Analyze menu select Data Export.
2. Unselect all parameters and under Eye Tracking Data select Pupil Diameter.
3. In the Settings panel on the right:
   • From the Format drop-down list, select Multiple Standard Files (.tsv).
   • From the Timestamp Precision drop-down list, select milliseconds.
4. In the Data Selection field:
   • Recordings: select from which recordings you want to export the data.
   • Times of Interest: select Snapshot Gaze Data.
   • Snapshots: select the appropriate snapshot name.
   • Areas of Interest: this selection is not relevant for pupil diameter export.
5. Click the Export Files button at the top of your screen, browse to the folder in which you want to save the data and click Select Folder.
6. A subfolder will be created with the name Data Export - <name of the project>. Click OK.
7. Copy the data files to the computer with The Observer XT to import them.

Import a Gaze Overlay Video into The Observer XT

1. Start The Observer XT, open the project and then the observation in which you want to import the video.
2. From the Observe menu select Video > Open in Current Observation, or click the Import Video button on the toolbar.
3. Select the video that you exported from the Tobii Pro Lab software and click Open.

Import AOI Data into The Observer XT

Important: Make sure that you have converted the export files with the Noldus Tobii Pro Lab File Converter Tool before proceeding.

1. Start The Observer XT and open the project and then the observation in which you want to import the AOI data.
2. Click the Import Data button on the toolbar and select Import Observational Data.
3. In the Import Observational Data window, from the Files of Type list, select Tobii Pro Lab 1.x AOI and Fixation Data (*.txt).
4. Browse to the location in which you stored the converted files. Select the appropriate file and click Open.
5. Click Yes to import new coding scheme elements. The data are then imported and visualized in the Data and Audio Visualization window.

Note: The Areas of Interest and fixations are imported as State Events in a behavior group of type Start-Stop.

Import Pupil Diameter Data into The Observer XT

To be able to import pupil diameter data you need an import profile. You can download this profile via your MyNoldus account under Downloads > The Observer XT > Drivers & Tools > Drivers for Current Version.

1. Make sure The Observer XT is not running, then copy the import profile (*.eip) to the following folder: C:\ProgramData\Noldus\Common\Profiles. Note that the ProgramData folder is a hidden folder. To view it, browse to C:\ and on the View tab select Show and then Hidden Items.
2. Start The Observer XT, open the project and the observation in which you want to import the pupil diameter data.
3. Click the Import Data button on the toolbar and select Import External Data.
4. Browse to the folder where you stored the pupil diameter data and select the appropriate *.tsv file.
5. In the Files of Type drop-down list select Tobii Glasses 3 Pupil Diameter (*.tsv) and click Open.
6. Select Import and Ignore if you receive any warning messages. The data are then imported and visualized in the Data and Audio Visualization window. Tobii Pro Lab exports three parameters: Pupil Diameter Left, Pupil Diameter Right, and Pupil Diameter Filtered. The Pupil Diameter Filtered data are calculated by applying the selected gaze filter and pupil diameter filter.