Conference papers and presentations on DAAO
2010:
UNSW International Research Workshop, September 2010 DAAO ( Fuller)
Dynamic Data Workshop, NIEA , UNSW, Sydney, 3 December 2010, UNSW ( Fuller)
Australian Digital Forum, Unconference, ACMI, Melbourne 10 December 2010. ( Fuller)
2011
THAT camp Melbourne, University of |Melbourne 25 – 28 Mar 2011 ( Fuller)
ALIA 20 x 20 ’Working Together’ Series , Fisher Library, Usyd, 3 May 2011 ( Fuller)
2012
Australian Digital Humanities Conference, ANU, (on collaboration with HUNI- NeCTAR project) April 2012 . ( Harley)
——————————————————————2010 ————————————————
As part of our research into redeveloping the database, we are using google forms to survey our stakeholders on a variety of matters relating to user experience, schema design and research intention.
This is the page where we will feedback to our stakeholders the results of this design research.
Most research will generated and feedback into various advisory group which designate CI main area of involvement in the discharging of the LIEF grant.
ADVISORY GROUPS
(click image to enlarge)
A SNAPSHOT OF THE BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Here are some scans of the flash cards that Zina Kaye of the House of Laudanum used when she presented the findings and recommendations of the Business Analysis that the DAAO commissioned.
This card describes an ideal state for a research website. It must engage a community ( so that it is used and updated), it must be up-to-date ( otherwise it is not useful as source of accurate data) and it must be ‘vivid’ ( a term expresses interest, relevance, significance and in the case of art and design database its also takes on its most literal meaning- one expects images). User research suggest that the DAAO in its current state is perceived as out-of date ( in terms of its data), as only engaging very specific communities ( ie it is seen, correctly or not, as a predominantly NSW entity) and the question asked all the time is; ‘why are there no pictures’? .
This slide addresses the issue of currency. Quality has many meanings in different contexts. Quality in the context of an online database requires that information be up-to-date. This is basic. This is quite different to traditional academic publishing in which ‘quality’ is measured by the (sometimes baffling) criteria of the ERA, or by values such as ‘reputation’ of individual authors. Data should be accurate. That is also basic. But in a data base world, if the content is ‘correct’ and ‘deep’ but not comprehensive and not current then it is not functioning according to expectations one has of databases and users will drift to something seen as more ‘reliable’.
If an artist won an award in 2010, it should be in our database. Thus quality in the world of digital publishing not only attends to ‘depth’ of information but also breadth and timeliness. The question arises, how do we keep our database (particularly the metadata) up to date? ( and how to easily correct errors when they are found) We can 1. develop techniques to synchronise updating of data across complementary databases 2. Engage a larger community to contribute the DAAO 3. compulsion- get the DAAO written into the business model of other organisations? a bit of all?
It is clear that the DAAO needs to expand its community and it also needs to make it easier for all kinds of public scholarly researchers to contribute to the DAAO- to provide content and correct errors, to improve the quality of data. This is necessary, not only in terms of new areas, like design, but in all areas. This slide attends to potential source communities to develop in order to keep the site maintained and up-to date and some of the technique one might use to engage such communities.
The DAAO needs to move further in line with the medium through which it lives. Online life is social and dynamic. It is about sharing. The DAAO since its inception has claimed itself a model of open public scholarship but in practice the business rules and the user experience of the site refutes many of the DAAO’s claims in this area. We need to make it easier for people to access our data ( we are doing by improving the search and discover functionality of the site) , we also need to make it easier for people to contribute to the DAAO and help them in forming community around this site. We will spend a lot of time on this once we have finalised the technical spec for the site in the new year.
The analysis also explored quite a few ‘business’ opportunities that we could explore by partnering with various organisations that may provide income streams. We are exploring these for the future (but we can plan for such developments technically, legally and structurally in terms of the architecture of the site now). But I’ll keep those discussions in-house for the moment.
In many ways the Business Analysis and now the User Experience Research is confirming what we knew- the DAAO needs transformation. The name of our grant is Design and Art Australia Online, a transformation the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online and so transform we will. The road map is becoming much clearer on how we will achieve these goals.
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