Show physical mouse clicks anywhere on the screen for user testing


#1

I have a need to visualize user clicks for user testing with axure.

This is a complicated backend desktop healthcare app with lots of functionality where we are not simulating the entire legacy enterprise app. We use speak allowed methodology with users to let us know when they are trying to click something that is not functional. But that often doesn’t jive with what we see if they move fast.

I found a couple threads (changing cursor with js/css, etc), but they don’t really do what I am looking for. Basically, just want a “visual effect” any time a user clicks anywhere so that we can see it in the live testing and recorded screens of user testing sessions. Something more like attaching an object to the mouse pointer (?), and showing a visual state of it anywhere you click.

It can be just on anything outside the real selection areas.

it could even leave a ghost image, a circle, in the spot they clicked rather than be attached to the mouse all the time.

I am not in axure enough, or program enough, to come up with an approach. Any pointers appreciated.


#2

Yes, you can do this. See this file for a quick demo:
click feedback.rp (44.6 KB)

There is a hidden widget named mouseClick. The event, Page Click or Tap, simply moves mouseClick to the center of the cursor, shows it for 1 second then hides it. Any interactive widget, like a button, needs to fire this PageClick event in order to show the mouseClick widget (because the button widget would obscure the PageClick as it sits on top of the page; make sense?)

I’m not sure what that means, exactly… I interpreted it as “clicking anywhere on the page, whether area is interactive or not.”

The problem with this, if your intent is to leave a ghost image permanently, is that ghost image would then obscure the widget, so it could not be clicked in that same spot again. Probably some ways around this, but could get fairly complicated. Perhaps add a condition to the mouseClick widget to hide it or move it to back if the cursor is over it? I guess I basically left the “ghost image” showing for 1 second. You can adjust this timing as necessary, add a fade-out transition, etc.


#3

I have done with doing physical mouse clicks anywhere for user testing and mouse accuracy test helps me in achieving this task. It was a great experience using this platform for checking the mouse working on this website.