Design & Development
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Faculty Accomplishments [2002-3]
In Summer 2002, iSchool instructor and content management guru Bob Boiko asked me to be his graduate assistant. He told me that he was working on a project involving the design of a university-wide information system for recording and tracking the achievements of faculty at the University of Washington. I had taken a class Bob taught earlier that year, enjoyed working with him, and had liked reading his book The Content Management Bible, so I accepted, hoping that this experience would be positive as well. My role was to be the "Information Lead", in charge of user analysis, information architecture, and user-centered design. The programming was to be carried out by Suzi Soroczak, a PhD student at the iSchool. The project was dubbed "Faculty Accomplishments". ProcessI had little formal training in user-centered design (UCD), so my first assignment was to scan the literature on systems analysis, needs analysis, qualitative research methods, usability testing, and so on. Over the months, I amassed a library of UCD manuals. The Faculty Accomplishments project was mandated by the UW administration with support from a couple of faculty from the Information School and School of Nursing. Our goal was not to build the information system, but to develop a conceptual design that would be submitted for consideration at the end of the year. We developed a strategic plan during Autumn 2002, exploring the best approach to take, and by the end of the quarter, we were ready to implement that plan. Bob worked on database schemas and algorithms, and Suzi reviewed the technical requirements of the university systems. Meanwhile, I began interviewing faculty and staff members in the Information School and the School of Nursing. Over the next 4 months, I interviewed 13 people, including faculty members, deans, chairs, support staff, and student assistants. Using the information I collected, I then produced systems and user analysis documentation, including:
My goal in doing all this analysis was to obtain a clear conception of the needs and motivations that govern the workflow of recording and reporting on faculty activities. By using that conception to design the system, the Faculty Accomplishments system will fit, hand-in-glove, into the users' existing tasks and systems. Some of the most significant findings from this process could probably not be elucidated by common technology-based system design methods. We had originally underestimated the role that staff and students currently play in recording and reporting faculty accomplishments. In fact, it seems that staff and student assistants will be the most frequent users of the Faculty Accomplishments system. I also found a great need for an incentive structure (such as promotion or penalties) to encourage -- or coerce -- faculty to regularly add and update their information in the system. Reflection
I see this project as one of those rare opportunities to design a system from scratch -- and do it right. I have worked on several technical system development projects in the past, but was often rushed to build a system before it was ready. By taking a metered, thoughtful approach to user and systems analysis, we have been able to enter the design phase with very little ambiguity or guesswork. Through the Faculty Accomplishments project, I have gained many valuable skills -- the most important of which include:
What's NextUnfortunately, this project never came to fruition, due to a lack of funding or support from the university administration, and was tabled indefinitely. However, it remains one of my capstone learning experiences as an information architect. Artifacts |
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