What should be in an integrated online experience?

[Jay Collier]

[Moved, permanently, from the CUWebD forum]

What kinds of familar toolsets could be within an integrated online
environment?

- Content management?
- Learning management?
- Notifications (e-mail, RSS)?
- News stories?
- Publc events calendars?
- Blogs?
- Forums?
- Chats?
- Wikis?
- Portals?
- Profiles?
- Portfolios?
- Athletics rosters and games?
- Department information?
- Sstudent groups?
- Surveys?
- Polls?
- Event registration?
- Podcasts?
- Slide shows?
- Event registration?
- Social media?
- File management (suggested by Nicole Rhoads)

Are there others?

[webdevep]

This is a great list. We deal with all of these in our environment.
That is no small set of variables to make all of these run and keep
them running. (Not to mention user support issues).

What about course registration, grades, and bill-paying bills? Would
those go under "Portals"?

And possibly "space scheduling/management"?

s

[Jay Collier]

Yes, I think it makes sense to list all of the current experiences/
systems that we manage. Later, we can fine-tune.

I've added this list, with your additions, to the archive.

<http://sites.google.com/site/ikeproject/home/discovery/current-
ecosystems>

[Jay Collier]

Hmmm. Long URL from Google Sites got truncated by Google Groups ;)
Here's a tiny URL.

http://tinyurl.com/68vcsn

[Jim Hart]

Here's a Web service that's integrating some of the aspects.

http://multiply.com/info/tour/1

[Jay Collier]

Thanks, Jim. I haven't see this before and it looks interesting.

On Jun 20, 6:14 pm, Jim Hart <jh...@bates.edu> wrote:
> Here's a Web service that's integrating some of the aspects.
>
> http://multiply.com/info/tour/1
>

>  Jim
> 13KDownload

>  smime.p7s
> 5KDownload

[Jim Hart]

I played with it. Seems a little "hokey", but they're trying to
integrate various functions and media, anyway.

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[Jim Hart]

I had intended to contrast a "needs based" approach with a "tools
based" approach, where the SMC represents the latter. But, now, I'm
thinking that we require both. Special purpose tools that meet a
predefined need are efficient, and may require only basic skills to
use. But, each is generally useless for any other purpose than the
one for which it was designed. General purpose tools require more
skill and are less efficient for a specific task, but can be used,
adaptively, for unforeseen purposes. They provide flexibility.

Efficiency, simplicity and flexibility are quality attributes. How we
rank them will determine our emphasis on general purpose or special
purpose tools. It seems unlikely, though, that we will dismiss one of
these quality attributes altogether.

Hmmmm.... thinking of different skill levels.... Isn't it true that
different people will rate these quality attributes differently? Some
people may have very limited interaction with other members of the
community. They may just read the latest College news on the Web or
in their e-mail. Others may have complex, dynamic and innovative
interactions, and be willing to develop skill with general purpose
tools, trading some simplicity and efficiency for flexibility.

Does this obviate or inform the Quality Attribute Workshop process?

[Steve Moitozo]

Keep in mind that the overall software architecture will be designed to
facilitate the realization of certain quality attributes based upon priorities
at that level. In addition individual elements of the architecture will also be
designed or chosen to facilitate the realization of certain quality attributes
based upon priorities at the element level.

For instance, the overall software architecture of a Web system might be
designed to be highly available but an element within the architecture might be
designed to be high performance (e.g., load balancer) as a way of supporting the
overall goal of being highly available.

The main reason I bring this up is to be clear that quality attributes are
applied and prioritized at all levels of abstraction (at least the levels worthy
to be documented).

-S2
--
Steve Moitozo II
Software Architect and Manager of Internet Software Services
Bates College

"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like
work." --Thomas Edison

Are you an Outlook user having problems replying to my messages? Read this:
<http://www.geekwisdom.com/dyn/outlookusers>

[Jay Collier]

I'm going to move this to a new thread, since it is broader than the
pointer in the original post.

-Jay

> begin:vcard
> fn:Steve Moitozo II
> n:Moitozo II;Steve
> org:Bates College;Information and Library Services
> adr;dom:;;;Lewiston;ME;04240
> email;internet:smoi...@bates.edu
> title:Software Architect & Manager of Internet Software Services
> tel;work:207-786-6266
> note:"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in

> overalls and looks like work." --Thomas Edison

> x-mozilla-html:FALSE
> url:http://www.bates.edu/ils/offices/web/
> version:2.1
> end:vcard
>

[J Brown]

- Photo albums?
- Video albums?
- Live video feeds?
- Library databases?
- Online $$ transactions?
- Community voting (e.g., stars, diggs)?
- Mashups?

On Jun 18, 3:29 pm, Jay Collier <jay.coll...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Jay Collier]

I've updated and organized our growing list.

<http://tinyurl.com/68vcsn>

-Jay

[Andrew Bonamici]

All:

In addition to "*Space* scheduling and management," we might also
consider "*Equipment* Scheduling and Management." Systems like R.25
(http://corp.collegenet.com/depts/higher_ed/series/
Scheduling_Overview/
R25) and Web Checkout (http://www.webcheckout.net/) try to integrate
both. Best,

Andrew

[Jay Collier]

Yes, true.

I'll change that item to "Facilities, space, and equipment scheduling
and management"

-Jay

[Jim Hart]

For some thoughts on abstracting electronically assisted
interactions, I've posted a PDF:

http://abacus.bates.edu/~jhart/4dimensions.pdf

Let's keep stretching our minds and assumptions.

Jim H.

p.s. Given the new devices coming along, using "Browser" as the 4th
dimension may not be a good idea. So, let's not get hung up on that.
The first 3 dimensions are more important.

[Jay Collier]

Starting with our vision and goals, revisiting attributes of an
effective online experience, looking at this list of current systems,
and digging back to a project from a prior lifetime, I've drafted a
large list of attributes, functions, and features for your perusal:

<http://tinyurl.com/3gbpjz>

Here are the relevant background documents ...

Process sample: <http://tinyurl.com/5phgl8>
Attributes: <http://tinyurl.com/44qtp4>

Your feedback welcome.

-Jay

[jhart]

I discussed the grid with some colleagues, who thought some dimensions could be removed. Mixed media confuses the issue of sight and sound, and the client software could vary. (How one would integrate IM with Web and Twitter, if it uses a different client, is a little hard to figure.) What's more, Synchronous implies interaction between/among 2 or more people. A better dimension might be Publishing and Consuming vs. Interaction/Communication. The former is asynchronous with regards to other people. The latter could be either synchronous or asynchronous. Thus, the grid collapses to 3 types:

Publishing and consuming content,
Interacting in real time, and
Interacting asynchronously.

I haven't used Twitter. Is it real time or not? Sometimes yes, sometimes no?

Keeping in mind that the categories aren't exclusive, IM can be all three: real time interaction, publishing and consuming (file transfer), and async (leaving a message). It can also be video and sound, just sound, or just text. Is it useful to differentiate the media type used? Or are all publishing and communication methods moving toward full video support?

[Jim Hart]

Jay Collier wrote:
> By grid, I assume you mean <http://tinyurl.com/63k6wv>.
>
>

I meant this one:

http://abacus.bates.edu/~jhart/4dimensions.pdf

> By "content" I'm thinking of any digital asset, including text and all
> media, not just static content.
>
> I am thinking that any "content" objects (even a Tweet or chat or
> discussion item) can be interacted with, in real time or
> asynchronously. Consuming content is a subset of interaction. If the
> interaction is immediate, that's real time. If delayed, it's
> asynchronous.
>

Yes, it can be that generalized, can't it?

So what are the variables in an IKE experience?

- Synchronous versus asynchronous is too discrete. The time between
beginning to interact, as Jay defined interaction, and receiving the
interaction is really a continuum. What should it be called? "Delivery
time?" "Interactivity response time?" ???

- Push versus pull?

- Any others?

> In other words, I agree with your last line. All digital media
> interaction methods are moving toward integration. By way of example,
> take a look at the demo at <http://www.voicethread.com>.
>
>
Great tool. I hope they come out with some group pricing. A class of 30
plus a professor with Pro accounts would cost $1860. Some of the limits
on free accounts, e.g. 30 mins. of Webcam time, 25MB maximum file size,
and the presence of advertising, might be unacceptable in some college
courses.

The next functionality step would be the ability to apply all those
commenting tools to any content, anywhere, without changing it.

> I think this is a great conversation. Let's keep it going!

>> jhart.vcf
>> < 1KViewDownload
>>
>
>

[Jay Collier]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim.

As to the grid you posted at <http://abacus.bates.edu/~jhart/4dimensions.pdf
>, I'd suggest that we have two sets of "dimensions" we're
discussing: those of the user experience, and those of the technology
architecture.

I have collected the attributes of the user experience, which appear
in general, and in more detail, in these places:

<http://sites.google.com/site/ikeproject/home/discovery/principles>
<http://tinyurl.com/3gbpjz>

It is my preference that the technology should be invisible, so I
encourage you, Steve, and our other Bates technology colleagues to
develop your architectural dimensions as you need in order to be as
effective as you can for technology development.

Does that help?

-JFC

[jhart]

Hmmm...the idea is to abstract out those things that will be intrinsic to the user experience no matter what technology can do now or will bring in the future. That is, what things are part of interaction, regardless.

Using non-technological examples:

- direct and immediate, vs. delayed; for example a student talking to a faculty member is direct and immediate; leaving a sticky note on the office door is delayed. (technologically; synchronous vs. asynchronous, IM vs. e-mail)

- something comes to me, vs. I go to it; for example, a journal article arrives in my mailbox or I go to the library to read it (technologically, push vs. pull, RSS vs. a Web page)

- degree of privacy/security; for example, a document arrives by registered mail and I have to sign for it, or it gets left in my office door tray where anyone can read it (technologically, a passworded e-mail mailbox vs. a public blog)

Does this make sense to everyone? To try to distill out the characteristics of an IKE that won't change no matter how it's implemented? Does doing so enhance or inform our process?

Some definitions, from the Web, of "interaction":

"the result of one thing acting on another"
"a mutual or reciprocal action"
"the act of some things ... acting upon one another; A conversation or exchange between people "
"Strictly, the dependence of an outcome on a combination of causal factors, such that the outcome is not predictable from the average effects of the factors taken separately. ..." (Experience tells us that whatever we come up with will be used in unexpected ways, right? :-)


"interaction" appears to have been intensely studied for over a decade. For example:

What Is Interaction Design?

http://www.designingforinteraction.com/d4i_ch1_excerpt.pdf



Jim Hart
Bates College