For our twenty-fourth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) session, we tested OpenGrid– an open-source interface developed by the City of Chicago that allows residents to search for, interact with and visualize City of Chicago’s datasets.
For the 28th Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) test, Smart Chicago Collaborative tested the redesigned homepage of the City of Chicago’s Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal allows users to find resources and various datasets regarding the city of Chicago. The City of Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology is working with Socrata to redesign the Open Data Portal, focused currently on the homepage, to be more user-friendly while representing multiple data and technology initiatives and applications created with open data.
Civic User Testing Group as a New Model for UX Testing, Digital Skills Development, and Community Engagement in Civic Tech
By Daniel X. O’Neil and the Smart Chicago Collaborative
This is the CUTGroup book, an extensive how-to on the Civic User Testing Group—a set of regular Chicago residents who get paid to test civic apps. It began with a simple idea—that civic technologists should be in communion with the people they seek to serve—and it has grown to a community of more than 800 people who work together to make lives better through technology.
In this book, we cover in great detail how we do UX (or user experience) testing, community engagement, and digital skills in one civic tech system. We cover the hardware and software you need, methods for tester and developer recruitment, test design, location scouting, and results analysis. We show detailed budgets, exact website configurations, complete text of recruitment emails, the raw results of every test we’ve conducted, and all the other nuts and bolts it takes to make a CUTGroup in your city.
On Monday, November 7, 2016, Smart Chicago Collaborative held the first CUTGroup Collective Community call. The goal of the CUTGroup Collective is to convene organizations and institutions in cities to help others establish new CUTGroups, create a new community, and share and learn from one another. For our first community call, we want to highlight CUTGroup Detroit’s story. Over the last few months, a collaboration across multiple entities invested in Detroit– the City of Detroit, Data Driven Detroit, and Microsoft– recruited for and conducted their first CUTGroup test. On our first call, the team involved will talk about their successes and challenges in building CUTGroup Detroit.
Slides were created by the CUTGroup Detroit team, which includes the City of Detroit, Data Driven Detroit, and Microsoft.
What is Civic Tech: Toward finalizing a basic framework so that we can move o...mysociety
This was presented by Micah Syfry (Civic Hall), Matt Stempeck (Microsoft) and Erin Simpson (Civic Hall Labs) at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 27th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
Ethics in Data Science and Machine LearningHJ van Veen
Introduction and overview on ethics in data science and machine learning, variations and examples of algorithmic bias, and a call-to-action for self-regulation. Given by Thierry Silbermann as part of the Sao Paulo Machine Learning Meetup, theme: "Ethics".
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thierrysilbermann
https://twitter.com/silbermannt
https://github.com/thierry-silbermann
Out of the spreadsheet and into the community: finding data-driven stories wi...mysociety
This was presented by Rahul Bhargava from MIT at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 27th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
The Law Factory: a git and dataviz approach to parliamentary bill-trackingmysociety
This was presented by Benjamin Ooghe-Tabanou from Médialab Sciences Po at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 28th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
For the 28th Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) test, Smart Chicago Collaborative tested the redesigned homepage of the City of Chicago’s Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal allows users to find resources and various datasets regarding the city of Chicago. The City of Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology is working with Socrata to redesign the Open Data Portal, focused currently on the homepage, to be more user-friendly while representing multiple data and technology initiatives and applications created with open data.
Civic User Testing Group as a New Model for UX Testing, Digital Skills Development, and Community Engagement in Civic Tech
By Daniel X. O’Neil and the Smart Chicago Collaborative
This is the CUTGroup book, an extensive how-to on the Civic User Testing Group—a set of regular Chicago residents who get paid to test civic apps. It began with a simple idea—that civic technologists should be in communion with the people they seek to serve—and it has grown to a community of more than 800 people who work together to make lives better through technology.
In this book, we cover in great detail how we do UX (or user experience) testing, community engagement, and digital skills in one civic tech system. We cover the hardware and software you need, methods for tester and developer recruitment, test design, location scouting, and results analysis. We show detailed budgets, exact website configurations, complete text of recruitment emails, the raw results of every test we’ve conducted, and all the other nuts and bolts it takes to make a CUTGroup in your city.
On Monday, November 7, 2016, Smart Chicago Collaborative held the first CUTGroup Collective Community call. The goal of the CUTGroup Collective is to convene organizations and institutions in cities to help others establish new CUTGroups, create a new community, and share and learn from one another. For our first community call, we want to highlight CUTGroup Detroit’s story. Over the last few months, a collaboration across multiple entities invested in Detroit– the City of Detroit, Data Driven Detroit, and Microsoft– recruited for and conducted their first CUTGroup test. On our first call, the team involved will talk about their successes and challenges in building CUTGroup Detroit.
Slides were created by the CUTGroup Detroit team, which includes the City of Detroit, Data Driven Detroit, and Microsoft.
What is Civic Tech: Toward finalizing a basic framework so that we can move o...mysociety
This was presented by Micah Syfry (Civic Hall), Matt Stempeck (Microsoft) and Erin Simpson (Civic Hall Labs) at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 27th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
Ethics in Data Science and Machine LearningHJ van Veen
Introduction and overview on ethics in data science and machine learning, variations and examples of algorithmic bias, and a call-to-action for self-regulation. Given by Thierry Silbermann as part of the Sao Paulo Machine Learning Meetup, theme: "Ethics".
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thierrysilbermann
https://twitter.com/silbermannt
https://github.com/thierry-silbermann
Out of the spreadsheet and into the community: finding data-driven stories wi...mysociety
This was presented by Rahul Bhargava from MIT at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 27th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
The Law Factory: a git and dataviz approach to parliamentary bill-trackingmysociety
This was presented by Benjamin Ooghe-Tabanou from Médialab Sciences Po at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC2016) in Barcelona on 28th April. You can find out more information about the conference here: https://www.mysociety.org/research/tictec-2016/
Smart Chicago's fourteenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Chicago Cityscape, a website that tracks building permits, violations, and historic resources in all neighborhoods, community areas, and wards using open data
For our seventeenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) session, we tested the Ventra Chicago mobile transit app. The Ventra app allows riders to manage their Ventra account, buy mobile tickets for use on Metra, get notifications about their account, and other features.
This is a great primer for any municipality, community foundation, nonprofit, and/or civic tech outfit that is interested in replicating the Smart Chicago model.
“Youth-led Tech | Summer 2015” is a technology mentoring program in five Chicago neighborhoods: Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, and Roseland. As part of this program, we’re teaching various classes on digital skills. We’ve open sourced our curriculum through a series of blog posts.
This is the PDF Version of the file
CUTGroup 10 - Build it! Bronzeville Final Reportsmarziano
Smart Chicago Civic User Testing Group Test of Build it! Bronzeville, which is a mobile game app that uses GIS technology to help residents guide development in their neighborhood as they complete quests (i.e. enhance safety, visual appeal, and foot traffic).
As part of CUTGroup 11 for the website, Expunge.io, we asked testers to turn off their computer screens and draw what they remembered about the homepage. We were interested if key words would stick out to them and see what aspects of the site they remembered.
Smart Chicago's eleventh Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Expunge.io, a website that helps people with juvenile records expunge their records in Illinois.
Smart Chicago's thirteenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for mRelief, a website that helps people find out if they are eligible for social services benefits in Chicago and Illinois.
By Laurenellen McCann. Edited by Daniel X. O’Neil.
Experimental Modes of Civic Engagement
in Civic Tech is an investigation into what
it means to build civic technology with, not for, real people and real communities. It answers the question, “What’s the difference between sentiment and action?”
The project was conducted by Laurenellen McCann, and it deepens her work in needs- responsive, community-driven processes for creating technology for public good.
This is a project of the Smart Chicago Collaborative, a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology. It was funded by a Knight Community Information Challenge Deep Dive grant given to The Chicago Community Trust by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Three years of organizing, writing, and documenting in Chicago civic tech at the Smart Chicago Collaborative.
By Christopher Whitaker
Edited by Daniel X. O'Neil
Christopher Whitaker was a consultant to the Smart Chicago Collaborative,
a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology, from 2012 to 2015. Smart Chicago focuses on increasing access to the Internet, improving skills for using the Internet, and developing meaningful products from data that measurably contribute to the quality
of life of residents in our region and beyond.
Together, we created a new job type— part documenter, part organizer, part evangelist, part original writer and thinker about an emerging subsector of the technology industry— civic tech.
Presentation and meeting guide for the first Connect Chicago Digital Skills Road Map Working Group hosted at the Chicago Community Trust on September 9, 2016. This working group formed out of conversations from the Connect Chicago Meetup events. Find out more about the Meetup at http://meetup.com/connectchicago
This is a report I prepared about the user testing, redesign, traffic, and usage stats for www.chicagoearlylearning.org.
Lots of details-- good info for developers, project managers, and people interested in stats on civic innovation projects.
As smart cities embrace and deploy innovative technology embedded in public spaces, residents voices need to be represented. To prevent disconnect between residents and their city’s technology, broad engagement is key — not only to inform residents of innovations, but to take inventory of public concerns and questions associated with them.
The purpose of this report is to describe the civic engagement and resident feedback collection process associated with a new Internet of Things (IoT) initiative in Chicago: The Array of Things. This report outlines the methods, decisions, and philosophies that went into this effort to increase Chicagoans’ engagement and involvement with smart city technology. Since the deployment of Internet of Things is so timely for cities around the world, we’ve shared the lessons we gleaned from our work. We hope this information can be of service to similar projects in other cities.
Final cut group-5-chicago-worksforyou-reportsmarziano
This is a final report for Smart Chicago's CUTGroup remote test that happened on November 25. This was a test of ChicagoWorksforYou.com, a dashboard to provide citywide information about city service requests.
Smart Chicago presentation on the Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Terry Mazany's Social Enterprise Class at Northwestern University.
February 25, 2015
Smart Chicago's fourteenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Chicago Cityscape, a website that tracks building permits, violations, and historic resources in all neighborhoods, community areas, and wards using open data
For our seventeenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) session, we tested the Ventra Chicago mobile transit app. The Ventra app allows riders to manage their Ventra account, buy mobile tickets for use on Metra, get notifications about their account, and other features.
This is a great primer for any municipality, community foundation, nonprofit, and/or civic tech outfit that is interested in replicating the Smart Chicago model.
“Youth-led Tech | Summer 2015” is a technology mentoring program in five Chicago neighborhoods: Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, and Roseland. As part of this program, we’re teaching various classes on digital skills. We’ve open sourced our curriculum through a series of blog posts.
This is the PDF Version of the file
CUTGroup 10 - Build it! Bronzeville Final Reportsmarziano
Smart Chicago Civic User Testing Group Test of Build it! Bronzeville, which is a mobile game app that uses GIS technology to help residents guide development in their neighborhood as they complete quests (i.e. enhance safety, visual appeal, and foot traffic).
As part of CUTGroup 11 for the website, Expunge.io, we asked testers to turn off their computer screens and draw what they remembered about the homepage. We were interested if key words would stick out to them and see what aspects of the site they remembered.
Smart Chicago's eleventh Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Expunge.io, a website that helps people with juvenile records expunge their records in Illinois.
Smart Chicago's thirteenth Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for mRelief, a website that helps people find out if they are eligible for social services benefits in Chicago and Illinois.
By Laurenellen McCann. Edited by Daniel X. O’Neil.
Experimental Modes of Civic Engagement
in Civic Tech is an investigation into what
it means to build civic technology with, not for, real people and real communities. It answers the question, “What’s the difference between sentiment and action?”
The project was conducted by Laurenellen McCann, and it deepens her work in needs- responsive, community-driven processes for creating technology for public good.
This is a project of the Smart Chicago Collaborative, a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology. It was funded by a Knight Community Information Challenge Deep Dive grant given to The Chicago Community Trust by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Three years of organizing, writing, and documenting in Chicago civic tech at the Smart Chicago Collaborative.
By Christopher Whitaker
Edited by Daniel X. O'Neil
Christopher Whitaker was a consultant to the Smart Chicago Collaborative,
a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology, from 2012 to 2015. Smart Chicago focuses on increasing access to the Internet, improving skills for using the Internet, and developing meaningful products from data that measurably contribute to the quality
of life of residents in our region and beyond.
Together, we created a new job type— part documenter, part organizer, part evangelist, part original writer and thinker about an emerging subsector of the technology industry— civic tech.
Presentation and meeting guide for the first Connect Chicago Digital Skills Road Map Working Group hosted at the Chicago Community Trust on September 9, 2016. This working group formed out of conversations from the Connect Chicago Meetup events. Find out more about the Meetup at http://meetup.com/connectchicago
This is a report I prepared about the user testing, redesign, traffic, and usage stats for www.chicagoearlylearning.org.
Lots of details-- good info for developers, project managers, and people interested in stats on civic innovation projects.
As smart cities embrace and deploy innovative technology embedded in public spaces, residents voices need to be represented. To prevent disconnect between residents and their city’s technology, broad engagement is key — not only to inform residents of innovations, but to take inventory of public concerns and questions associated with them.
The purpose of this report is to describe the civic engagement and resident feedback collection process associated with a new Internet of Things (IoT) initiative in Chicago: The Array of Things. This report outlines the methods, decisions, and philosophies that went into this effort to increase Chicagoans’ engagement and involvement with smart city technology. Since the deployment of Internet of Things is so timely for cities around the world, we’ve shared the lessons we gleaned from our work. We hope this information can be of service to similar projects in other cities.
Final cut group-5-chicago-worksforyou-reportsmarziano
This is a final report for Smart Chicago's CUTGroup remote test that happened on November 25. This was a test of ChicagoWorksforYou.com, a dashboard to provide citywide information about city service requests.
Smart Chicago presentation on the Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) for Terry Mazany's Social Enterprise Class at Northwestern University.
February 25, 2015
Presenting a new, clear approach to defining neogeography and its various elements, understanding the stakeholders in VGI and researching how volunteered information may benefit users over and above traditional cartography.
An Exploration of Volunteered Geographic Information stakeholdersChristopher J. Parker
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has huge potential for influencing the use of geographic information systems. However, there is a wide range of individuals involved in this process, each with their own motivations for contributing and using volunteered data. This paper investigates the range of stakeholders involved with VGI, their relationships and the main tensions and issues involved. The research was based on a series of detailed interviews and theory-driven coding of data. From this, a Rich Picture (Monk, Howard 1998) was developed to graphically present and relate stakeholder relationship information. The findings have implications for how stakeholder groups may be described, and how VGI can lead to enhanced products and services.
PARKER, C.J., 2010. An Exploration of Volunteered Geographic Information Stakeholders, M. HAKLAY, J. MORLEY and H. RAHEMTULLA, eds. In: Proceedings of the GIS Research UK 18th Annual Conference, 14-16 April 2010 2010, UCL pp137-142.
For my final year project I used data analysis techniques to investigate user behavior pattern recognition in respect of similar interests and culture versus offline geographical location. This was an out-of-the-box topic, which I selected due to my love on Data Analysis, in respect of the Social Network Analysis in the Internet era.
A presentation given by
Daphne Duin and co-authored with David Self, Simon Rycroft, Dave Roberts & Vincent Smith at the EDIT general meeting, Carvoeiro, Portugal. Dec. 15-17, 2009.
During the last Geomundus conferences that took a place in Castellon de la Plana, at UJI University.
For more than 60 attendees Initiative CityData 3.0 was presented with comments and feedback related, here you can check the slides presented.
IronHacks Live: Info session #3 - COVID-19 Data Science ChallengePurdue RCODI
This IronHacks Live: Info Session provided details on the Summer 2020: COVID-19 Data Science Challenge hosted by the IronHacks Team at the Research Center for Open Digital Innovation (RCODI) at Purdue University.
Crowdsourcing is an online, distributed problem solving and production model that revolutionized the internet and mobile market at present. It turns the customers into designer and marketers. The practice of Crowdsourcing is transforming the web and giving rise to a new field. Today the leading enterprises are embracing the next paradigm shift in the distribution of work by outsourcing to the crowd in the cloud. Everyday millions of people make all kind of voluntary online contribution. With the number of people online approaching 3 billion by 2016 and projected to reach 5 billion by 2020, new workforce has emerged that are now used for different purposes. Available on-demand this workforce has abundant capacity and the expertise knowledge to perform work from simple to complex and solve problems and grand challenges. This paper gives an introduction to Crowdsourcing, its theoretical grounding, model and examples with case study. In this paper we show that Crowdsourcing can be applied to wide variety of problems and that it raises numerous interesting technical and social challenges. Finally this paper proposes an agenda for using Crowdsourcing in NLP.
The Purdue IronHacks are the world's first virtual Open Data Hacks. Read more about our work in turning open data into novel and useful applications for the public!
A "mini user case study" was conducted in April 2020 to explore the question, "What’s needed to be attracted to a virtual world and to stay there afterwards?" The results are relevant to virtual presence platform providers moving products from beta through production to broad commercialization, and to their prospective platform users.
Similar to Final Report for CUTGroup #24 - OpenGrid (20)
The book summarizes the Chicago School of Data project which included a scan of our local data ecosystem from 2013 - 2014 and a convening we built on top of that scan. Typical with other Smart Chicago projects like CUTGroup and the Array of Things Civic Engagement Project, we also included “meta” sections in the Chicago School of Data book — specific details about how we executed our projects, what tools we used, and the logic or guiding principles behind our program design decisions.
http://www.chicagoschoolofdata.com/
You're invited to a presentation + community conversation about putting urban sensors to use for the public good. Join the operators of the Array of Things project to learn more about their urban sensors, how they can be used, and how they can be put to use to help measure or solve neighborhood challenges like air quality, noise pollution, etc. Learn more about Array of Things at arrayofthings.org
This curriculum, tailored to senior learners and set up for turn-key use for digital trainers, is an introduction to online safety and security. The curriculum overviews information about scams and give tips for how to avoid them.
This document layouts out an introduction to Microsoft's DigiSeniors Curriculum and gives information to prospective instructors/trainers for how to leverage it in their classrooms.
You’re Invited to a Community Technology Forum at the Windsor Park Lutheran Church!
When: Saturday, May 20, 2017 from 1pm – 4pm
Where: 2619 E 76th St.
What: Join community members and local advocates for a civic conversation about the technology in South Shore. What do you love about your community and what is working well? ¿Qué te gusta de tu comunidad? What technology resources do you use a lot and appreciate? ¿Qué recursos tecnológicos utiliza mucho y aprecia? You’re invited to share your ideas and help design solutions that leverage what works to improve what doesn't. This Community Technology Forum is hosted at the Windsor Park Lutheran Church in partnership with DePaul University, the Smart Chicago Collaborative & Connect Chicago. Lunch & refreshments will be provided! Sign up for more information and RSVP at bit.ly/chitechforum2.
The Juvenile Expungement Help Desk can help expunge (erase) your juvenile arrests and delinquency findings from law enforcement and court records.
Located at the Cook County Juvenile Court Center at 1100 S Hamilton, Chicago, Illinois.
On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, Smart Chicago Collaborative, Mikva Challenge, and LAF Chicago presented to The Chicago Community Trust staff about juvenile expungement, Expunge.io, and upcoming changes relevant to the House Bill 5017 being passed. This document is our combined presentation.
This session is designed specifically for the Digital Inclusion Fellows, though other NTC attendees are welcome to attend.
Scaling pilot programs and transitioning responsibility from one person, team, or department to another requires intentional documentation, training, and sharing. This session will address how to successfully prepare a program to undergo change, so that work in progress continues and lessons learned support future expansion.
http://www.nten.org/session/digital-inclusion-program-sustainability-documenting-lessons-sharing-successes-and-transitioning-work/
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
2. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Introduction
For our 24th Civic User Testing Group (CUTGroup) test, we tested OpenGrid, an open-source
interface developed by the City of Chicago that allows residents to search for, interact with and
visualize City of Chicago’s datasets.
“OpenGrid has an intuitive user interface that’s highly responsive and efficient. The
application is accessible from any devices (e.g., mobile, laptop, tablet or desktop). It’s
unique, functional, and an easy to use tool to find city data. It extracts city data and
displays it in an illustrative form which makes it easier for a user to search and
understand the information.” - City of Chicago Department of Innovation & Technology
staff
Target Group
On April 12, we sent out an email to 1,132 CUTGroup testers who lived in Chicago. We wanted
to know if they would be available for an in-person test on April 20. When segmenting our
testers, we were interested in:
● Testers who live within Chicago city limits because OpenGrid specifically shows City of
Chicago data
● A mix of testers with different types of mobile devices (Android/iPhone)
● Testers who had varying degrees of familiarity with what happened in their
neighborhoods
● Testers who did or did not use datasets in their personal and/or professional lives
Test Type
● In-person test component where testers would view different features on their own
device and complete tasks
● This test utilized A/B testing, where 13 of the testers (“A” Testers) began on
http://opengrid.io/ (OpenGrid’s homepage) and the other 10 testers (“B” Testers) on
http://chicago.opengrid.io/opengrid/ (the app interface).
● All testers were paired with a proctor, who asked them questions, observed and
recorded their interactions with OpenGrid and their responses and feedback.
Goals of Test
The main goal of the OpenGrid test was to measure whether Chicago residents are able to find
the information that they are looking for and whether it is easy to navigate datasets. Past
usability testing of the interface had been with highly skilled users or people who work at the
City of Chicago. We also wanted to learn how residents might use the information and data
displayed on OpenGrid in their personal or professional lives and if they find value in OpenGrid.
2
3. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Responses
23 testers completed the OpenGrid CUTGroup test. In Group A, 8 testers used laptops, 3 used
smartphones, and 2 used tablets. In Group B, 5 testers used laptops and 5 used smartphones.
Can you tell us more about your experience, if any, using data or datasets?
3 testers described proficiency in accessing data in their professional and/or personal lives. 7
testers mentioned they had some familiarity with data and/or using the internet to find more
information about their neighborhoods. 3 testers gave responses that indicated they had
previously had little to no exposure to using data.
2 testers described proficiency in accessing data in their professional and/or personal lives. 6
testers mentioned they had some familiarity with data and/or using the internet to find more
information about their neighborhoods. 2 testers gave responses that indicated they had
previously had little to no exposure to using data.
Review the homepage and tell us about the three things that you notice
first.
Group A testers started on OpenGrid’s homepage (http://opengrid.io/). Here are A testers
pointed out when reviewing the homepage (number indicates number of times a topic of feature
was mentioned):
6 - “Launch”
6 - Background image
3 - “Code”
3 - Headings
2 - Contact Us
2 - Quick Search
2 - Video
2 - Informational text
2 - Expressed confusion
1 - Managed Queries
1 - Symbol
1 - Open Source
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4. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
1 - Data
1 - “Customizable”
1 - City of Chicago
Group B testers began on the app interface (http://chicago.opengrid.io/opengrid/). Here are
what B testers pointed out when reviewing the app, presented to them as the homepage:
4 - Map
3 - “Queries”
2 - Features on map
2 - Quick search box
2 - Colors
2 - Menu
1 - Absence of call-to-action
1 - Submit button
1 - OpenGrid logo
1 - “Commonly Used Queries”
1 - Side menu
1 - Map icons
If you had to describe what this website does, what is your best guess?
After reviewing the homepage, the majority of Group A testers mentioned one of these four
topics: data, map directions for getting to places, information about places on the map, and
exploring neighborhoods. Here are key responses:
Charlie (#A9) says, “It's like Google Maps - put in your location, and it will give you
directions, information about what's on the map.”
Bronco (#A15) says, “[It’s for] Encouraging the developer community to develop
application from using the data on this website. These tools would be for residents.”
JG (#A14) says, “I probably wouldn't have an idea - "OpenGrid" isn't telling much, unless
you start scrolling down - and even then, 'exploring neighborhood' is vague.”
After reviewing the app launch page, the majority of Group B testers mentioned one of these
two topics: map directions for getting to places and information about places on the map. B
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5. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
testers did not have the contextual information provided by the OpenGrid homepage, which
proved to be valuable to the testers in Group A. Here are key responses:
Make Believe (#B1) says, “[It’s for] traffic or how to get around city quicker.”
Paloma (#B8) says, “Traffic or how to get around city quicker.”
Who do you think this website is targeted to? Why?
7 testers said that they thought the site was either for Chicago residents. Here are some key
responses:
Charlie (#A9) says, “Focus is on travelers, drivers, bicyclists, public transit riders - it may
help these people know where they're going without asking other people.”
Heather (#A11) says, “Chicagoans who want to know more about their neighborhood.”
3 testers indicated that they thought the OpenGrid was targeted toward developers.
Chris (#A16) says, “Anyone who has interest in viewing the data; developers that would
like to integrate this into other projects.”
1 tester indicated uncertainty of who the site’s target audience is; another tester, Ms Boop
(#A6), says it’s for “anyone that can get online.”
There was much less consensus about who the target audience is among testers in Group B,
who mentioned a general audience, people moving through the city, residents, investors, and
government employees as possible audiences. Here are key responses:
Susan (#B5) says, “Targeted to the city of chicago's residents or any user. If you lived in
a place like Alaska you could still pull this up. Could be for residents or people investing
in property.”
Zachary (#B7) says, “[It’s targeted] To individuals who are not familiar with certain parts
of the city.”
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6. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
After reviewing the homepage, what is the first thing you do or click?
When exploring the website the Group A, 7 out of 13 testers in Group A (54%) clicked
“Launch”, which opened the map interface; 2 of the 13 testers (15%) had already launched the
map, and proceeded to use the search tools.
7 - A: Clicked “Launch”
1 - A: Clicked “Explore”
1 - A: Clicked on video
1 - Other: tried to click on a building
1 - Other: Clicked on "Manage Queries" on map page
1 - Other: Clicked on “Advanced Search” on map page
0 - A: Clicked “Contribute”
Most testers in group B did not take an overwhelmingly clear first step or action. 3 out of 10
testers (30%) used quick search and 3 more testers (30%) used chose commonly used queries,
while the rest of the testers did a variety of other first actions.
3 - B: Used quick search
2 - B: Chose Commonly Used Query
2 - Other: Relocated map to a familiar area
1 - Other: Searched random addresses
1 - Other: Clicked advanced and commonly used queries
1 - Other: Clicked on the measure tool
1 - Other: Clicked on the menu
0 - B: Added datasets and searched
0 - B: Clicked on “Manage Queries”
If you searched, what was the search term you used?
Testers’ search terms included “2 bedroom apartment”, addresses, “Business License 60624”,
“Foodie”, buildings, and “restaurant passing initial inspection” and others from the commonly
used queries.
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7. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Tell us more about the first thing you did, and why you did it. What were
you expecting to happen?
Several testers from Group A said that they didn’t expect the “Launch” button to open up a map.
When looking at the map interface, a few testers some expressed confusion about why the map
was centered where it was and about what they should do next in the absence of prompts.
The tester who clicked on the video did so looking for explanation of the website.
Testers in Group B similarly expressed a desire for prompts that would teach them how to use
the interface.
Here are some responses from testers about the first thing they did:
Renee54 (#A4) says, “‘Launch’ sounds technical, new-age. Upon launching, I did not
expect to see a map of Chicago. I didn't ask for the map information, yet a map of the
west side is here. I would expect to see links of items of interest to residents of Chicago;
I don't see them here. Not sure what I'm looking at; the screen doesn't provide what I
asked, so I'm not sure what I'd inquire.”
Chris (#A16) knew he would see a map when he clicked “Launch” but thought he would
be prompted to do something. He felt that he was just “dropped" into the map view.
Make Believe (#B1) used quick search and typed ‘food’, but didn't see that the search
returned an error because the keyboard was blocking information. After some difficulty
clicking the “Help” button, they found that the instructions were targeted towards
technical audience, and ‘a little complicated.’ They couldn’t see the entire window on
help screen, and observed that the quick search function seems to be for a specific
location, not data sets.
Paloma (#B8) says, “I wanted to see what the computer [could] do instead of me
creating search criteria on my own. [I] wanted to see what it would do for me. [I] didn't
click on anything else because I wanted to see what that button would do. The result met
expectations; I wanted locations and the grid returned results.”
Find 311 service requests that are currently open in your neighborhood.
Tell us about your experience.
3 testers, Susan (#A5), Sigma1922 (#A13), and Gabi (#B12), were able to conduct searches
that yielded results without prompting from their proctors.
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8. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
13 testers attempted to search “311”, their neighborhood or ZIP Code, or a combination of both
using the Quick Search bar, but these searches did not yield results. 2 other testers, Data User
(#A23) and Paloma (#B8), attempted to use the “Near Me” location filter to search for open 311
requests, but did not have initial success.
10 testers (only 3 of whom did not initially attempt a search - Tact (#B17), Community Interest
(#B20), and Family Safety Interest (#B21)) were prompted by their proctors to use the
Commonly Used Queries and/or Advanced Search options, which yielded results.
Here are some key observations of testers:
Cleveland54 (#B3) says, “It should [say] enter zip code here or enter here… [There’s]
no arrow no graphical element to tell me to enter data. It doesn’t stand out. Expected a
drop down. The up and down arrows expect to a droplist with a list of zipcodes. The
submit button is not noticeable.”
Renee54 (#A4) would have tried “advanced search” out of desperation, but would want
a quick search to get everything needed. The tester felt that “advanced' implies a
specific person or place, not general information about a neighborhood.
Susan (#B5) says she thought there should be a clearer place to enter addresses. She
wouldn’t put it where there is “Quick Search.”
Did this search meet your expectations?
Yes 23% (3)
No 77% (10)
Yes 60% (6)
No 40% (4)
Why or why not?
Here are some responses from testers who said “No” this search did not meet their
expectations:
Make Believe (#B1) says, “[It] is not intuitive. [It’s] for a technical audience [and it] needs
different UX to engage a non-technical audience”
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9. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Ms Boop (#A6) says, “It is hard to interpret the data. There are no keys.”
JG (#A14) says, “The options that are given to work with aren't clear. [It] needs to be
more specific yet easy to understand - [I] played with a bunch of options, yet nothing
showed up.”
Here are some responses from testers who said “Yes” this search did meet their expectations:
Paloma (#B8) says, “It produced something but [I’m] trying to understand the info in the
data points. Trying to guess what it is.”
Gabi (#B12) says, “Often when you try to map stuff it doesn't work the first time. I am
used to instructions but I know that isn't common with this stuff. My expectation wasn't
high. I will try this again on a computer.”
Sigma1922 (#A13) says, “Because when [I] was able to find the 311 request I was able
to find the information without doing additional search. It was right in front of me.”
How easy was it to find open 311 service requests in your neighborhood?
5 - Very easy 0%
4 - Easy 15% (2)
3 - Neutral 31% (4)
2 - Difficult 31% (4)
1 - Very difficult 23% (3)
5 - Very easy 10% (1)
4 - Easy 0%
3 - Neutral 10% (1)
2 - Difficult 40% (4)
1 - Very difficult 40% (4)
How would you improve this search experience?
13 testers recommended that changes should be made to the OpenGrid search tools to make it
easier for users to find the information they are looking for. 7 of these testers thought that the
search bar should respond to addresses/ZIP codes or tags like “311”. 3 testers commented that
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10. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
the existing search filters are too complicated, and that they should be simplified. Paloma (#B8)
says, “Commonly used queries was easy; all other filters made it difficult. Dataset and Standard
filters should be first; it would be easier.”
7 testers mentioned that they would improve the descriptions and instructions that orient the
user to the OpenGrid interface. 2 of these testers recommended adding instructions that
suggest how a user would interact with the page, such as suggesting a search or having sample
questions. For example: Cleveland54 (#B3) says, “The advanced search panel should be
pushed down with a note at top saying ‘welcome, you can search blah blah here.’ The landing
page should have description of the website and then launch to the site.”
2 other testers recommended improving the language used to label data points and information
on the map.
7 testers said that they would make changes to design elements including color, readability, and
map appearance to improve the search experience. 2 testers commented that the text and
symbols on the interface were small and might be difficult for some people to read. 2 other
testers (Zachary (#B7) on a laptop and Gabi (#B12) on an iPhone 5, mentioned that it was
difficult to see all of the search text on their screens.
2 other testers mentioned data point color as an area that could be improved. JG (#A14)
indicated that “Information should be more easy to find. For starters, the blue and white [on the
map] is not the best color option, too. As an additional walkthrough, tester chose street closures
within zip code value, and found 13 records. The records that are showing up, however, are not
reflected on the map -- tester requests highlighting streets or including more easily visible what
the closures are.”
Pretend that you are in the process of moving to a new part of Chicago;
use OpenGrid to find information about this area and let us know what you
find.
What did you learn using OpenGrid?
When seeking information about a new part of Chicago, 7 of the 23 testers initially entered in
neighborhoods or ZIP codes into the search fields without indicating the datasets, and their
searches yielded no results. JG (#A14) says, “Honestly - the site is not giving what I want, need;
information is confusing and not clearly presented. Not much has been learned.”
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11. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
10 testers (6 from Group A and 4 from Group B) were able to successfully obtain information by
using the search function, but had varying degrees of difficulty. Here are a couple of
experiences we observed:
Paloma (#B8) searched 60638 with several different filters, including crimes. She says,
“This is telling me a lot about the neighborhood. [I] would be worried about seeing all
these crimes and thefts… for everyday citizens, try translating the style of writing more
user-friendly. It looks like the data was copied and pasted out of the inspector’s user
book and it will take time to understand the data.”
Tact (#B17) first went to add a ZIP code, then found data sets and started to scroll to
see options. The tester ended up looking at landmarks before settling on crime. Tact was
a little slow to press on result dots; they were looking for historical data but were only
getting data from the most recent year (although they did not enter a data range). Tact
recommended that the labels for filters and search criteria could be improved, for
example: ‘geospatial’ is not commonly used phrase.
Yoonie (#A18) could not search by community area "Pilsen" as expected, so the tester
decided to move the map to that general location and look up crime data from
2001-present. The results do not prepopulate as the tester expected, but they eventually
change the geospatial filters to “map extent.”
Some testers moved beyond the search bar. Charlie (#A9) tried multiple addresses through
quick search, but none provided a result; she found that moving the map around manually was
more effective than using the search bar. Tester Chris (#A16) did the same thing to find their
results.
Search for crime data from the last year in the neighborhood you live in.
8 of 13 A testers (62%) encountered difficulties in searching for crime data from their
neighborhoods. 2 of these testers initially attempted to search using the names of their
neighborhoods, which did not return results; using ZIP codes or ward numbers yielded data
points. 2 others were not able to return results. Here are some of the key observations:
Doc (#A2) tested OpenGrid on a smartphone and had a hard time finding crime and
filtering for a time period. He also lost his search criteria when he navigated back to the
map from the search panel. When he submitted his search query, the app returned with
an error, “Search is invalid,” without giving any explanation.
ChicaoJAE (#A10) started her search with location, then selected crime data. With a
little instruction, she found search filters, but had to manually enter the dataset. The
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12. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
tester hit submit, and the app produced results on the grid. As she scrolled through, the
tester saw the icons but was more interested to read grid data.
9 out of 10 B testers (90%) had a difficult experience conducting this search. 4 of these testers
found it hard to select the correct data set from the listed options. 3 were not able to return
results. Here are some of the key observations:
Tact (#A17) used advanced search to enter a ZIP code into the boundary filter and
select crime data from last 15 years, with some help from the test proctor. On the first
attempt, the search produced error; then, the tester removed some empty filters and it
produced results.
Family Safety Interest (#B21) did not recognize the menus that they needed to pull up
the crimes. The tester would have liked to select a neighborhood from a drop-down
menu instead of a ZIP code. They found rectangle selection tool a little difficult to use,
but the polygon tool was friendlier.
Did this search meet your expectations?
Yes 46% (6)
No 54% (7)
Yes 70% (7)
No 30% (3)
Why or why not?
Here are some responses from testers who said “No” this search did not meet their
expectations:
Susan (#B5) says, “The language is not at a 6th grade level and is not at a level that
anyone can use.”
Ms Boop (#A6) says, “It was not easy to determine how to get the data and once I did it
was much more information that I needed. I just needed crime and address. I don't need
ward or district.”
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13. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Charlie (#A9) observed that it's not as helpful as it should be to find anything -- you
should only have to click once or twice to get the desired results. Charlie thinks that
OpenGrid is not designed for novices, and would require training to know how to use it.
Here are some responses from testers who said “Yes” this search did not meet their
expectations:
Paloma (#B8) says, “It got easier because I got use to practicing.”
Heather (#A11) says, “The data is good, but having the address more easier to find
would be nice.”
Chris (#A16) says, “Adding the rule took a second to figure out, and then it made
sense.”
How easy was it to find crime data from last year?
5 - Very easy 0%
4 - Easy 15% (2)
3 - Neutral 38% (5)
2 - Difficult 8% (1)
1 - Very difficult 38% (5)
5 - Very easy 0%
4 - Easy 40% (4)
3 - Neutral 20% (2)
2 - Difficult 10% (1)
1 - Very difficult 30% (3)
How would you improve this experience?
9 testers recommended making changes to the OpenGrid search experience. 2 of these testers
(Doc (#A2) and Charlie (#A9)) described the search experience as not too difficult, but only
after learning how to navigate it, indicating a need for more instruction around searching.
The other 7 testers had comments on how to improve the search selector fields. 2 testers
mentioned improvements to the way the search function handles location. Chris (#A9) feels that
the OpenGrid interface emphasizes the data set and then the location; he would swap that
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14. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
around and make it more location-driven, such that users would first select location, then select
their desired data set. Cleveland54 (#B3) would prefer a drop-down menu of community areas
to having to manually input locations.
2 testers (Susan (#B5) and Gabi (#B12)) thought that it was difficult to search crime. Gabi
(#B12) recommends better defining the suggested queries and giving more options to refine the
results. Similarly, 1 tester, Tact (#B17), hope for the ability to search for specific events or
incidents within the crime data set.
2 testers (Paloma (#B8) and Downtown Closures (#B21)) both recommended reducing the
initial number of search fields to make it easier to search.
5 testers said that OpenGrid should be made more user-friendly. 2 of these testers (Renee54
(#A4) and Make Believe (#B1)) mentioned that the language currently used is too technical
Renee54 (#A4) says, “It needs to be user-friendly for all Chicago citizens - terms like
‘geo-spatial filters' don't mean anything to most users. It sounds deep, but gets people nowhere.
This isn't Star Trek over here.” 1 tester (JG (#A14)) said that clearly labeling tabs would be
helpful to orienting the user.
1 tester Community Interest (#B20) encountered challenges related to the design; when
searching for crime in their neighborhood on an Android smartphone, the gridview was up and
blocking the advanced search pane. The tester had to minimize the grid to pull-up the advanced
search pane.
5 testers recommended improvements related to the data returned by searches. 2 testers
(Zachary (#B7) and Family Safety Interest (#B21)) wanted more descriptive information on the
map data points, while 1 tester (Ms Boop (#A6)) would prefer a shortened description of the
crime in the data point.
Tester ChicagoJAE (#A10) recommends displaying both the grid and map results at the same
time.
Tester Bronco (#A15) had concerns about the quality of data returned, noting that they were
not able to obtain information from within the last year.
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15. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Next, find a dataset that you are interested in learning more about that is
relevant to you. What did you look for?
3 - Food inspections
2 - Filming locations
2 - Landmarks
2 - Potholes
2 - Building violations
1 - Schools
1 - Red light cameras
1 - Speed cameras
1 - Street closures
1 - 311 service requests
1 - Environmental complaints
1 - 911 reports
1 - Transportation
1 - Common Queries
Tell us about your experience. How did you search? Can you describe the
information you found?
9 testers were successful when searching for datasets they were interested in learning more
about.
Charlie (#A9) tried to search for “speed cameras” and “locations,” but that didn’t work;
the tester then tried “citywide,” which yielded 50-60 results. After using the website for a
while, it became slightly easier, and the tester saw the process as more useful over time.
Charlies says, “You need to know specifically what you want in order to get any value
out of [OpenGrid].”
Community Interest (#B20) was able to look at potholes to see where they were
reported. The tester mentioned it would be helpful to report 311 calls through the app.
5 testers were not able to successfully return results through their searches. Here are some of
the things we observed:
Renee54 (#A4) was not able to find information they were looking for, and would instead
just go to another website.They recommended that OpenGrid developers look at better
models out there for public information and improve it; the tester would not use this site
because it was unclear what kind of data is available in the first place. Without knowing
what information is there, the site is useless for now -- but it can be improved.
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16. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
JG (#A14) tried to search “schools” using “quick search” at first, which yielded no results.
The tester then went to “advanced search,” but didn’t see their query under “commonly
used queries”; the tester then clicked on “datasets -> add dataset" and did not see it
there either. The tester concluded that schools are not included in the OpenGrid system.
The remaining 9 testers’ search outcome is unclear based on the test notes, but 5 of these
testers described encountering obstacles in their search processes.
13 testers (4 testers who had successful searches) described some difficulties during the
search. Here are some of their experiences:
Gabi (#B12) searched for “film locations,” thought that the filters were nice. Her search
yielded results from the whole city since she did not specify boundaries. She zoomed in
and found that the data points were from three years ago. “They only paid $25?! [It’s]
exciting there are so many of them.” She could not figure out how to limit the search by
date, and accidentally hit an arrow that opened the bottom table list. It was hard to close
the popup when it takes up most of the screen on a mobile device.
Family Safety Interest (#B21) found that once she got the hang of the query, it was
easier, but took a bit of effort to find the query in the menus. The custom location queries
took a number of taps on her smartphone to find.
Overall, how easy do you think it is to use the OpenGrid website?
5 - Very easy 0%
4 - Easy 23% (3)
3 - Neutral 23% (3)
2 - Difficult 31% (4)
1 - Very difficult 23% (3)
5 - Very easy 0%
4 - Easy 20% (2)
3 - Neutral 40% (4)
2 - Difficult 10% (1)
1 - Very difficult 30% (3)
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17. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
What improvements might you make to make it easier to use?
4 testers recommended that changes should be made to the OpenGrid search tools to make it
easier for users to find the information they are looking for. Make believe (#B1) says, “Search
by natural feedback. More functionality in primary search.” Doc (#A2) says, “Saving information
so you don't have to reenter everything. Less filters. They are too broad.”
4 other testers mention improving the search-by-location mechanism, which tripped many of
them up during the test exercises. Charlie (#A9) says, “Get it to recognize addresses in quick
search query quicker.” Zachary (#B7) says that “Quick search should allow address.”
4 testers mentioned that language used on the OpenGrid interface was unclear and/or hard to
understand. Chris (#A16) feels that there is “too much technical language that could be more
user-friendly.”
4 testers recommend adding more explanation about elements of the app. Gabi (#B12) wants
“More explanation of the buttons and icons,” while Renee54 (#A4) suggested including “More
links, lists of what data is available, and more user-friendly design.”
2 testers mention the desire for instructions on how to use the app. Paloma (#B8) says that a
“Pop-up about the site would be useful on the landing page or quick tutorial about how to use
the site.”
2 testers suggest making changes to the look and feel of the app. ChicagoJAE (#A10) says,
“Larger font. Make the grey bar larger.” Cleveland54 (#B3) says that “adding graphical
elements” would make it better.
Overall, how easy do you think it is to understand the content and
information on OpenGrid?
5 - Very easy 15% (2)
4 - Easy 38% (5)
3 - Neutral 8% (1)
2 - Difficult 15% (2)
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18. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
1 - Very difficult 23% (3)
5 - Very easy 10% (1)
4 - Easy 40% (4)
3 - Neutral 0%
2 - Difficult 30% (3)
1 - Very difficult 20% (2)
What improvements might you make for the information to be easier to
understand?
Language Accessibility
3 testers mentioned difficulty understanding the language used on the OpenGrid interface.
Paloma (#B8) didn’t understand the vocabulary used, and found that it had alot of technical
wording, while Bronco (#A15) found that searching was intuitive "once I got the language." Doc
(#A2) recommended use of “more plain/laymen terms.”
User Orientation
5 of 23 testers expressed a desire for more information about how to use OpenGrid when the
interface is first launched. 1 tester, Sigma1922 (#A13) said understanding would be improved
by including more detailed information and a tutorial on the main page on how to navigate. The
other 4 testers recommended giving the user more instruction about what kinds of information
are accessible through OpenGrid; Charlie (#A9) says, “Once you get inside and get a better
feel for it, the information is easy to understand - key is [the] user needs to understand the
information that they're looking for.”
Information Displayed
5 testers recommended various improvements to the format and content of the returned search
results. Here is what they said:
● “Each result on the map would have a link to click on for more information.” - Zachary
(#B7)
● “Have the address more predominant.” - Heather (#A11)
● “When I was scrolling through the text information about 311 calls, there are a lot of
fields there which is okay. Maybe there could be more space between fields so they
don’t all run together. I don't think I want the fields to go away but it is not easy [to
understand].” - Gabi (#B12)
● “[I] was more interested in the grid instead of the map.” - Community Interest (#B20)
● “[I] would like to see some more data sets. The grid search was also difficult to find.” -
Family Safety Interest (#B21)
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19. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
What other types of information would you like to see in OpenGrid that
would be helpful to you as a user?
6 - Businesses
3 - Crime and safety
3 - Events
2 - Neighborhoods
2 - Parking and traffic
2 - Transportation
1 - 311 reporting function
1 - hospitals
1 - houses
1 - parks
1 - schools
After reviewing parts of the website, do you think the OpenGrid website is
targeted to you?
Yes 69% (9)
No 31% (4)
Yes 40% (4)
No 60% (6)
Why or why not? If not, who is the target audience?
Here are some responses from testers who said “Yes” they are the target audience:
Bronco (#A15) says, “More than I thought! If I just looked on the opening page and saw
references to open source and APIs and SQL like at the beginning, it would be targeted
to the developer group… but after exploring, maybe it is for end users!"
Community Interest (#B20) says, “Would be useful, but still too difficult to use.”
Here are some responses from testers who said “No” they are not the target audience:
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20. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Renee54 (#A4) says, “It's currently not targeted to anybody - not the citizens of Chicago;
it’s not even targeted to the writer of this program. It’s not easy to use or useful in its
current state.”
Gabi (#B12) says, “Not specifically, but with some practice I could learn how to use it
and it has some information that I am interested in.”
Do you like the OpenGrid website?
Yes 38% (5)
No 31% (4)
Not sure 31% (4)
Yes 60% (6)
No 30% (3)
Not sure 10% (1)
Why or why not?
Here are some responses from testers who said “Yes”:
Heather (#A11) initially didn’t like OpenGrid, but when she was able to find the data that
she wanted she was pleased with the information.
Gabi (#B12) says, “There is potential to access all that data and mash it up with the
spatial representation. That is very exciting and worthwhile.”
Here are some responses from testers who said “No” they do not like OpenGrid:
Renee54 (#A4) says, “Thumbs down - the page itself was beautiful, but beyond that,
that's all it was - it was not clear how I would use it or what I could get from it. It's very
disappointing.”
Susan (#B8) says that OpenGrid is “Too frustrating to use.”
Here are some responses from testers who said they are “Not sure” whether they like OpenGrid:
Ms Boop (#A6) says, “I am not sure how easy it will be to start using it as a brand new
person.”
20
21. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Bronco (#A15) says, “I like the idea of it... I understand it is a work in progress. [But] It
needs a lot of work to plot the results.”
How likely are you to use the OpenGrid website in your personal life?
5 - Very likely 31% (4)
4 - Likely 8% (1)
3 - Neutral 31% (4)
2 - Not very likely 8% (1)
1 - Not at all likely 23% (3)
5 - Very likely 1% (1)
4 - Likely 40% (4)
3 - Neutral 10% (1)
2 - Not very likely 20% (2)
1 - Not at all likely 20% (2)
What makes you say this?
Testers who said they would be “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to use the OpenGrid website
in their personal lives mention finding OpenGrid too difficult to use, or not having reason to use
it. Bronco (#A15) says, “In it's a current state ... it might be easier on the City's data portal. I can
get the data and know I'll get consistency of the results. I know what I am getting on the data
portal.” Another tester, Downtown Closures (#B22) said that they don’t access computers very
often.
Testers who responded “neutral” mention some difficulties in using the site, but also uncertainty
about how they would use it. Heather (#A11) says she would find OpenGrid useful in figuring
out what neighborhood to live, work, and be around during certain times in her life. JG (#A14)
says, “Based on the data choices available, things like neighborhood crime, 311 calls could be
useful for me from time to time.”
Testers who said they would be “likely” or “very likely” mention the appeal of relevant
information. Ms Boop (#A6) says, “Several of the common queries would be helpful as a
contributing neighbor to my neighborhood.” Gabi (#B12) says, “I am a curious person so looking
up crime or zoning code violations or whatever is in there. It might be amusing/interesting. It
might become vital if we decide to buy a house. Curious about future information that may
appear.”
21
22. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
How likely are you to use the OpenGrid website in your professional life?
5 - Very likely 8% (1)
4 - Likely 15% (2)
3 - Neutral 15% (2)
2 - Not very likely 23% (3)
1 - Not at all likely 46% (6)
5 - Very likely 0%
4 - Likely 30% (3)
3 - Neutral 30% (3)
2 - Not very likely 10% (1)
1 - Not at all likely 30% (3)
What makes you say this?
Testers who said they would be “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to use the OpenGrid website
in their professional lives gave either difficulty of use or lack of relevance as their reasons.
Charlie (#A9) says, “I'm not working in transportation, sanitation, other areas that apply to city
governance - might take a glance for traffic information related to work, but it doesn't do that
anyway.” Bronco (#A15) says that as a sociologist, they really see the importance in consistent
results.
Testers who responded “neutral” describe OpenGrid as out of line with their work. Doc (#A2)
says he might use it “only if it hand anything pertaining to restaurants or cooking jobs.”
Testers who said they would be “likely” or “very likely” mention the relevance of the tool. Gabi
(#B12) says that she is an “academic librarian so there are always students looking for data &
information (public health, social justice, geography, GIS program).”
How likely are you to share the OpenGrid website or its information with
your neighbors or community members?
5 - Very likely 15% (2)
4 - Likely 23% (3)
22
23. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
3 - Neutral 15% (2)
2 - Not very likely 15% (2)
1 - Not at all likely 31% (4)
5 - Very likely 20% (2)
4 - Likely 30% (3)
3 - Neutral 0%
2 - Not very likely 20% (2)
1 - Not at all likely 30% (3)
What makes you say this?
Testers who said they would be “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to use share the OpenGrid
website gave either difficulty of explanation and use or lack of relevance as their reasons.
Zachary (#B7) says his neighbors may be frustrated by OpenGrid and if he were to recommend
it, it would make him look bad. Make believe (#B1) was afraid they’d have to do too much
explaining.
Testers who responded “neutral” were split between the value of the information and the
challenges of using the tool. Yoonie (#A18) says, “Data seems really interesting - that would be
a 4. Accessibility is challenging is 2. There's potential to have this tool beat out all of the other
tools (crime map, food inspections stuff, public safety concerns).”
Testers who said they would be “likely” or “very likely” mention the relevance of the information
to their communities. Gabi (#B12) says, “Most neighbors are elderly or don't speak English.
Would share with son's friends who could share with parents.” Chris (#A16) says that his
community has a bunch of other data geeks that are interested in checking this out.
In what other ways would you improve the OpenGrid website?
Recommendations for further improvements were largely in the same categories as previous
suggestions. Here are some of the improvements that other testers suggested:
9 testers suggested making improvements to the OpenGrid search function, finding it difficult to
use quick search, especially when searching by location. Neighborhood Watch (#A20) says,
“[It] needs to improve navigation. I would also like to see neighborhood as a drop-down option…
[and] to be able to type in the ZIP code to see everything that's happening.” Tact (#B17) says,
“Improve the menu items by including dataset info.”
23
24. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
8 testers recommended making changes to the design elements of the OpenGrid app interface,
pinpointing several current features as obstacles to easy use. Cleveland54 (#B3) says,
“Graphic design information [is] needed to explain. There should be a floating help; the nav tools
are completely useless until I know what I’m actually doing.” Renee54 (#A4) says, “The user
should be able to figure out easily what they want to do. In its current state, it needs an
overhaul. It seems like there are great ideas embedded here, but the design did not let me get
to them.”
2 testers commented that the legibility of the app was poor. Yoonie (#A18) says, “Legibility is
difficult to read, not enough contrast for this search area… Make it a little bit easier to read.
Launch was terrific simple action. White on blue text.”
2 users recommended making improvements to the lexicon used in OpenGrid, commenting that
the language is too technical for non-developer audiences. Susan (#B5) says, “The language
was too difficult to understand.”
Was this your first CUTGroup test?
Yes 39% (9)
No 61% (14)
Do you like the CUTGroup?
Yes 100% (23)
No 0%
Did you like this CUTGroup test?
Yes 91% (21)
No 9% (2)
Anything else to add?
Susan (#B5) says, “No comment. Awful.”
Gabi (#B12) says, “This was the hardest test.”
Bronco (#A15) says, “This was fun! I like breaking databases!”
24
25. CUTGroup #24: OpenGrid
In-person test on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Yoonie (#A18) says, “This tool feels a lot less refined or finalized than other tools tested.
Seems like an earlier version.”
25
26. Make $20 for a test of a Chicago data website.
Hi <<First Name>>,
We've got a new opportunity for you to make money in the Civic User Testing Group
(CUTGroup) by testing a website where you can navigate Chicago data on your
computer or mobile device.
Are you available for a 30 - 45 minute in-person test on Wednesday, April
20 between 4:00 - 7:30 PM? If so, please complete this form.
We are in the process of gathering responses, so we will be in touch in a couple of
days to check availability, confirm the location, and confirm that you are right for this
test. We are looking for about 15-20 testers.
For your participation, you will receive a $20 VISA gift card. You'll also help make
better software for Cook County. Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup! As
usual, call or write with questions.
Remember: if you want to be a part of this test, please complete this form.
--
Sonja Marziano
(312) 565-3274
smarziano@cct.org
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27. CUTGroup Test: Chicago Data Website
If you would like to participate in the next CUTGroup test, please complete this form. We will follow‑up to check your
availability and let you know if you qualify for this test!
Smart Chicago values your online privacy and is committed to safeguarding the data you share with us and your
online privacy. Our On‑Line Privacy Policy applies to data collected at www.smartchicago2012.wufoo.com domain.
Email *
Yes
No
Are you available for an in‑person test on Wednesday, April 20 for 30‑
45 minutes between 4:00 and 7:30 PM? *
Yes
No
Are you 18 years old or older? *
5 ‑ Very familiar
4 ‑ Somewhat familiar
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Not very familiar
1 ‑ Not at all familiar
How familiar are you with what is happening in your neighborhood? *
Tell us more.
If anything, what are you interested in learning about in your
neighborhood that you do not already know? *
Yes
No
Have you looked up information online about the neighborhood you live
in now? *
Yes
No
Do you use maps to explore your neighborhood? *
What characteristics would you look for when moving to a new
neighborhood? *
How would you search or find that information? *
28. Yes
No
Have you ever used the City of Chicago’s data portal before? *
Yes
No
Do you work with or analyze datasets in your personal or professional
life? *
29. Let us know when you could join us on Wednesday for this test.
Hi <<First Name>>,
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a website where you can navigate
Chicago data on your computer or mobile device. We'd like to know if you can still
make it next Wednesday and, if so, what time you want. Here are the details:
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Between 4:00 - 7:30 PM
Chicago Public Library Legler Branch
115 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago IL 60624
If you can still make it on this night, please let us know what time slot you want
by completing this form. For your participation, you will receive a $20 VISA gift card.
We will get back to you with a confirmation of your time.
If this location doesn't work for you, or if you just can't make it on this night, after all,
no big deal. If you have any questions or comments, just hit "reply" and let me know
what you think.
Remember: use this form to tell us about your availability.
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup!
--
Sonja Marziano
(312) 565-3274
smarziano@cct.org
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30. CUTGroup Test: Chicago Data Website Availability
If you would like to participate in our CUTGroup test, please complete this form. The test is Wednesday, April 20
between 4:00 ‑ 7:30 PM at the Chicago Public Library Legler Branch, 115 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60624.
Email *
Yes
No
Are you still available on Wednesday, April 20 to attend this test in
person? *
4:00 ‑ 4:30 PM ‑‑ This slot is now full! Please choose another.
4:45 ‑ 5:15 PM ‑‑ This slot is now full! Please choose another.
5:30 ‑ 6:00 PM ‑‑ This slot is now full! Please choose another.
6:15 ‑ 6:45 PM
7:00 ‑ 7:30 PM
Sorry, this day does not work for me!
Test time slot 7 remaining.
Which of these time slots would work for you? Please select all that may
apply, and we will get back to you with your confirmed time. *
Yes
No
Would you be willing to bring your mobile device to this test to test
with? *
31. Thanks for being willing to help out.
Hi <<First Name>>,
Thanks for your interest in our CUTGroup test of a website that helps you navigate
Chicago data on your computer or mobile device. We really appreciate your
response to our call-out. We got a lot of responses for this test, and unfortunately,
you were not selected. We took a look at all of the responses we received especially
around the data analysis tools you use, how you've used the Chicago data portal,
how you get neighborhood information and more.
To keep you in the loop, the website we are testing is OpenGrid. If you are interested
in contributing this project or have feedback you can email the developer team
directly or contribute to their GitHub.
Even though you were not selected for this test, we have a lot more tests coming up.
We will send you info on our next test, and we'll definitely try to spread the tests
around so that everyone gets what they want out of the CUTGroup experience.
Thanks for being a member of the CUTGroup. As usual, call or write with questions.
--
Sonja Marziano
(312) 565-3274
smarziano@cct.org
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32. CUTGroup 24: OpenGrid
Thanks for participating in our test of OpenGrid, a website that lets you navigate Chicago data.
About you
First, some preliminaries. Keep in mind that we are going to publish the results of this test, but will not associate your name or
email address with the results.
Background review
First Last
Name *
Email or Phone Number *
"A" tester
"B" tester
Is this an "A" or "B" tester? *
You can check this on the tester sheet!
Give yourself a tester profile name. *
Proctored by:
What device are you using for this test? *
You can check this on the tester sheet whether they should be using a laptop or their
mobile device.
Safari
Internet Explorer
Chrome
Firefox
Other
What browser are you using right now? *
Can you tell us more about your experience, if any, using data or
datasets? *
33. Homepage review
A testers should start on http://opengrid.io/
B testers should begin on http://chicago.opengrid.io/opengrid/
Testers have answered screening questions which should be a starting point to this
conversation.
Take a look at the tester sheet for more information!
Review the homepage and tell us about the three things that you notice
first.
While you review, try not to click on the next page just yet, but feel free
to scroll up and down the page. *
If you had to describe what this website does, what is your best guess? *
Who do you think this website is targeted to? Why? *
A: Clicked "Launch"
A: Clicked "Explore"
A: Clicked "Contribute"
A: Clicked on video
B: Used quick search
B: Chose Commonly Used Query
B: Added datasets and searched
B: Clicked on "Manage Queries"
Other
After reviewing the homepage, what is the first thing you do or click? *
34. Website review
If you searched, what was the search term you used?
Tell us more about the first thing you did, and why you did it.
What were you expecting to happen? *
Find 311 service requests that are currently open in your neighborhood.
Tell us about your experience *
Yes
No
Did this search meet your expectations? *
Why or why not?
5 ‑ Very easy
4 ‑ Easy
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Difficult
1 ‑ Very difficult
How easy was it to find open 311 service requests in your
neighborhood? *
How would you improve this search experience? *
35. Pretend that you are in the process of moving to a new part of Chicago,
use OpenGrid to find information about this area and let us know what
you find.
What did you learn using OpenGrid? *
Search for crime data from the last year in the neighborhood you live in.
*
Yes
No
Did this search meet your expectations? *
Why or why not?
5 ‑ Very easy
4 ‑ Easy
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Difficult
1 ‑ Very difficult
How easy was it to find crime data from last year? *
How would you improve this experience? *
36. Overall Review
Next find a dataset that you are interested in learning more about that is
relevant to you. What did you look for? *
Tell us about your experience. How did you search? Can you describe
the information you found? *
5 ‑ Very Easy
4 ‑ Easy
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Difficult
1 ‑ Very Difficult
Overall, how easy do you think it is to use the OpenGrid website? *
What improvements might you make to make it easier to use?
5 ‑ Very Easy
4 ‑ Easy
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Difficult
1 ‑ Very Difficult
Overall, how easy do you think it is to understand the content and
information on OpenGrid? *
What improvements might you make for the information to be easier to
understand?
What other types of information would you like to see in OpenGrid that
would be helpful to you as a user?
37. Yes
No
After reviewing parts of the website, do you think the OpenGrid website
is targeted to you? *
Why or why not? If not, who is the target audience?
Yes
No
Not sure
Do you like the OpenGrid website? *
Why or why not?
5 ‑ Very likely
4 ‑ Likely
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Not very likely
1 ‑ Not at all likely
How likely are you to use the OpenGrid website in your personal life? *
What makes you say this?
5 ‑ Very likely
4 ‑ Likely
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Not very likely
1 ‑ Not at all likely
How likely are you to use the OpenGrid website in your professional
life? *
What makes you say this?
5 ‑ Very likely
4 ‑ Likely
3 ‑ Neutral
2 ‑ Not very likely
How likely are you to share the OpenGrid website or its information with
your neighbors or community members? *
38. Overall review of the CUTGroup experience
1 ‑ Not at all likely
What makes you say this?
In what other ways would you improve the OpenGrid website? *
Yes
No
Was this your first CUTGroup test? *
Yes
No
Do you like the CUTGroup? *
Yes
No
Did you like this CUTGroup test? *
Anything else to add?