Week one: Getting to know you

I have a desk.

The first week of my internship was dedicated to getting to know the group I'm working with: who is in the group, who does what, what do they do as a whole, etc. This was also a chance for them to get to know me a little.

Let's get started!

I haven't talked to everyone in the group yet. Several team members work at IUPUI, so I'll either need to travel to Indianapolis or video conference with them. The people I did talk with included the developers I will be working with on this project. They both shared very useful information that will help with the project: some thing to think about regarding the eventual coding as well as previous efforts that this current project builds on. Some of those efforts were more successful than others.

What I learned from seeing those previous efforts is that team buy-in is important, but also good design. One effort, a folder of visual assets for tours, is poorly organized, making it difficult to find specific examples. It is also limited to machines it has been loaded on. 

Another lesson learned is that technology can make a difference. One effort to curate AVL content, which was successful for the specific purpose it was designed for but is now outdated, was programmed using Flash. Even if the content were still being updated, Flash programming would be a problem now. Choosing how the new site is programmed is the job of the developers, but it is useful to keep this in mind to understand the choices they make.

Along with talking to the developers, I also took a tour of some of the facilities with several team members. The tour was a good introduction to some of the work the AVL does but also demonstrated part of the problem of digital assets being located in various places. 

Finally, I was able to clarify that the portal I am working to design will serve two purposes. First, it will be a portal that staff can use to access their showcase visualizations for teaching, tours, or other purposes. Second, it will hopefully also serve as a public face for the group. While they have an official webpage with the university, the portal would be a place they can refer people who want to see examples of the work they do.

All in all, my first two days were interesting and helped clarify what I'll be doing. I think the problem will be a good test of my skills and an excellent opportunity.