Phase 1

Research Outputs

Users can view details of each research paper; allows them to add or edit a claim in percentages to attain grant.

These users then have to negotiate their claims to reach a 100%. In this scenario, shown in the right panel are users Benjamin Jackson and Sally Kensington who had individually claimed a 100%. They would contact each other and either escalate the dispute to the faculty or negotiate amongst themselves to split the claim.

The Solution

Working with the software development team at Constant Consulting as well as the stakeholders at Macquarie University, we delivered a platform that collates all research related data about the outcomes and researchers and provides a negotiation platform on top of it for various stakeholders to manage data and correct them.

The platform connects various data sources in the university and then allows for intelligent “Scenario Testing” on the platform. It also provides a collaborative sandboxed simulation platform where faculties can play with the data and simulate “what-if” scenarios to understand better investment areas for research.

What-if scenario testing

A collaborative sandboxed simulation platform where faculties can play with the data and simulate “what-if” scenarios to understand better investment areas for research.

Achievements

Phase 1

Improved user experience and user interface designs resulted in the gain of trust from users and successful adoption of the platform; conflicts between researchers that emerged from a complex and time-consuming process in negotiations were greatly reduced.

Key contributions include:

• Identify key user problems, needs and job tasks

• Fast iterations of sketches as a base to facilitate discussions

• Execution and iterations of high-fidelity designs based on stakeholders and users’ feedback

• Ran usability tests and collected feedback for improvement in the next iteration

Steering stakeholders and clients to focus on user feedback instead of assumptions as basis to brainstorm solutions to problems.

Phase 2

The Portfolios Module

This module helps faculty administrators create portfolios, assign research papers to a portfolio and code the individual portfolio which would then overwrite the individual percentages claims of the research papers.

The Solution

We aimed at implementing auto computation and calculation and good user experience to help users work efficiently and concurrently.

The platform facilitates effective data management, data entry, negotiations between researchers and data entry personnel, data quality checks, automated report generation for ARC submission and various workflows pertaining to the organisation processes.

Data Quality

This module assists managers and administrators in managing data quality of all modules.

Achievements

Phase 2

Attained positive client and user feedback of the following modules:

• Research Outputs

• Researchers

• Applied Measures

• Income View

• Portfolios

• Data Quality

The complete solution resulted in the reduction of coding mistakes by users and staff hours. The application enabled strategic value to code for investment areas for research. To-date, the application is known to drive positive culture change amongst Macquarie University staff.

Key contributions include:

• Facilitated inception workshops to drive greater collaboration and consensus with the client stakeholders to reveal findings of the business model canvas, user types, user problems / needs, scope, risks, trade-offs and criteria for success.

• Assisted in the prioritization of user stories

• Defined user journeys

• Designed information architecture, wireframes and high-fidelity UI designs.

• Presented and explained design rationale.

• Facilitated discussion with cross-function team on the iteration of UI designs; ideas and feedback were gathered from all members of the team

• Planned user task scenarios and executed usability test sessions with users