Screen Recording

Here are some tools which might be useful during contextual inquiry to record interactions on the computer.

OBS-Studio

With the open source screen recorder OBS Studio, you can record, edit and publish live screencasts. The Open Broadcaster software can record screen contents including sound and offers various possibilities to influence the recording. These include picture-in-picture displays, video effects and switching between video sources. For example, the streaming software can create instructions and tutorials and stream Let's-Plays of video games via Twitch, YouTube and mixer.

After recording, scenes of the screencast can be extensively edited with OBS Studio. Users have a wealth of tools at their disposal, such as video editing and compositing, to enhance the screencasts to perfection. For example, the selfie video recorded by the webcam can be embedded as a small video into the large video of the screencast. System requirements: The open source software is available for Windows, macOS and Linux as a download. The source code is also available on GitHub.

XBox Game Bar

translated instruction from https://www.heise.de/tipps-tricks/Bildschirm-aufnehmen-mit-Windows-10-4226449.html. Windows 10 includes the so-called XBox Game Bar, which allows you to capture the screen. The functions are limited, however, as this is intended for recording games. The advabntage is that no foreign software needs to be installed. Here is an instruction from the Internet:

1. Open the program window you want to record. Make sure that this is the currently selected window by clicking on it. Then use the key combination [Windows] + [G] to open the XBox Game Bar. Then click the Record button in the Record window and make your video.
2. To stop recording, click the Stop button. Alternatively, you can use the key combination [Windows] + [Alt] + [R] to start and stop recording. Note: With the XBox Game Bar you can only start recording in programs and games. If you want to film the desktop or explorer, you must start recording in a program or game and then switch to the desktop or explorer.

VLC Player

VLC Player is not only a media player, but also a helpful tool for screen recordings. Here is a translated instruction from https://www.heise.de/tipps-tricks/Bildschirm-aufnehmen-mit-Windows-10-4226449.html.

1. Download the VLC Media Player if you don't have it installed yet: https://www.heise.de/download/product/vlc-media-player-14724. Click on the "Download" button and follow the instructions of the installation wizard. After successful installation, start the program.
2. Click on "Media" in the upper left corner and then on "Open recording device...". Alternatively you can also use the key combination [Ctrl] + [C].
3. Now select "Desktop" for the recording mode. You can also set the screen refresh rate. For smooth playback, 30.00f/s is recommended. When you are finished with the settings, click the arrow next to "Playback" and select "Convert".
4. Select the location where you want to save the recording via "Browse" and then click "Start". The recording will then start.
5. If you want to stop recording, open the VLC Player and click on the stop button at the bottom left.

ScreenCam

ScreenCam is is a lightweight application for Android, capable to record any interaction on an android phone and include audio recording. It is available in Google Playstore as well as in F-Droid.

ScreenCam doesn't need root access to record your screen and works on Android. You can also record audio along with the screen recording and get it beautifully combined with the recorded video. You can also pause or resume the recording seamlessly.

Careful: ScreenCam Does send data home. It is not completely transparent which data is being transferred to the developer's website. This however, does apply to many of the android tools. So be careful if you want to use one of those.

A collection of different tools can be found here.

Captura

Captura is an open source tool that allows you to photograph and film your screen. You can select different codecs and containers - for example "SharpAvi Uncompressed" with very good image quality. Captura is available here for download. It requires NET 4.7.2.

CamStudio

CamStudio is able to record all activities on the computer that can be seen on the screen. It is used to create demonstration videos or to create and provide video tutorials, tips and tricks for software programs. The recording software generates videos in AVI format or as Flash file in SWF format after screen capture. IMPORTANT: The Online Downloader on the manufacturer's site may install additional software on your computer. Therefore please pay attention during the installation if there are buttons or fields, which install (or not) additional programs. Be very careful here. The additional software is downloaded via the Internet and might not be safe !! CamStudio is available as free open source software for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Careful, it is pretty old, but might be helpful on older machines. It is not really recommended software, therefore the link is not provided here.