Week 14: 

Week 14 sees the project coming to terms with the conclusion of the semester and the current cycle of work. The team received feedback from ETC Faculty at Softs and also met with 4 of 5 client institutions to discuss launching the website as well as the future of the project as a whole. 

Softs Feedback: 

Softs feedback revolved primarily on the relative simplicity of the final tool as well as the playtesting undertaken to justify its simple design and appearance. Many faculty were also able to interact with the build prior to softs. Most faculty felt that the tool adequately performed in its expected role and were glad to hear that the playtests and interactions with the client had gone satisfactorily. Some faculty questioned the relative lack of complex features/ability to inspire its intended users. Attitudes towards the final website could be summarized by the phrase “Why is this even an ETC project?” 

The plan for final presentation revolves principally around “telling the right story” of this product. Arguably the website’s simple design belies the work that was necessary to get to that point. Additionally, faculty requested opportunities to hear from staff who will actually use the tool, either through recorded playthroughs or through interviews to enter into their mindset. The team might also consider using the tool itself to give the final presentation, depending on material covered. 

Launch meetings: 

Besides Softs, the team also met with 4 of 5 museums to discuss launching the website formally. 3 points were discussed: URL payment, Pantheon web hosting, and tech admin position. Most museums wished to delay paying for the website, but did express a desire to have their staff using the tool sooner rather than later. Most were willing to delay the discussion until a final meeting with all 5 museum partners present. Launching the website for use within each individual museum would require that all museums be relatively satisfied with the current state of the website. Development on 5 separate sites would be exponentially cumbersome compared to developing a single experimental website. 

Ana felt comfortable shelving the discussion until after the team concluded work on documentation. 

Final Playtest with Kilolo Luckett:

The team playtested one last time with Kilolo Luckett of the AWAACC. This can be viewed below.

The Road to finals (i.e. deliverables remaining for the team): 

1. Final Presentation (for Monday Dec 14th) 
2. Website Launch
3. Project Trailer
4. User and Documentation (with a specific focus for Tech Admins/material not covered in the video)
5. Finished Educator Onboarding Video 
6. Tech Documentation