Using a thesis project board

## Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 2 User testing
* 2.1 User 1
* 2.1.1 Stage 2
* 2.1.2 Stage 3
* 2.1.3 Stage 3b
* 2.1.4 Stage 4
* 2.1.5 Stage 5
* 2.2 User 2
* 2.2.1 Stage 1
* 2.2.2 Stage 2
* 2.2.3 Stage 3
* 2.3 User 3
* 2.3.1 Phase 1
* 3 Bibliography

## Introduction[edit | edit source]

Thesis project boards are physical visualization tools that help folks with both planning and monitoring a Master or PHD thesis. They also are social tools: Being on display in an office or a living room, a project board will show others "where your are".

Project boards can be created with any sort of materials, e.g. a whiteboard or wall plus PostIts. In this article we will focus on boards made with Legos and that is described in the Lego-compatible thesis project board article

This experience has been conducted in 2012/2013 and may be renewed in the future. Currently, the purpose of this wiki page was twofold:

* Track the evolution of pilot user's appropriation of the concept
* Write down ideas, etc.

The concept has been presented as a poster [1] at EIAH '2015

## User testing[edit | edit source]

In November 2012, we started involving PhD students in the project.

### User 1[edit | edit source]

Subject: PhD student in an earlier stage of thesis (project accepted by thesis commission)

User 1 went through several stages. Below we just summarize some elements:

Stages (so far, nov 2012 to March 2013)

1. Used the project board
2. Used a bigger standard Lego board in order to regroup, add extra handwritten bricks, add progress stairs.
3. Use a still bigger standard Lego board in order to create connections, add "stories", etc.
4. Destroyed the structure
5. Designed visualization that focuses on a small set of essential current elements she is working on.

We define stage as a major shift. Within each stage, there have been variations that are just documented with pictures.

#### Stage 2[edit | edit source]

nov 19 2012

* Includes labeling of chapters
* Adds a general progress indicator (stairs brought in from home)
* Identifies more issues
* Adds "play" bricks
* Two other PHD students want one

Version 2 proto

Version 2

#### Stage 3[edit | edit source]

nov 22 2012

* Adds connectors (the arcs) visualizing how a task and an issue and 2 issues are connected
* Uses extra bricks (e.g. a gate-in)
* Adds persona (thesis advisor, kids, ...)
* Identifies yet more issues
* Layout is often changed/updated (sometimes several times per day)

Version 3

#### Stage 3b[edit | edit source]

* This layout starts attracting other users for play. On 11/29 a colleague moved up the persona on the stairs.

#### Stage 4[edit | edit source]

January 8, 2013.

In the cloud. User feels that the project doesn't advance enough.

In the cloud

In addition, there is some focus on essential issues:

In the cloud, focus on essentials

#### Stage 5[edit | edit source]

February, 2013

Focus on two tasks

### User 2[edit | edit source]

Subject: PhD student in an earlier stage of thesis (project accepted by thesis commission). Some literature review and development done.

User 2 shares office with user 1 and immediately wanted to work with a large board.

#### Stage 1[edit | edit source]

Nov 23 2012.

* Separated issues into two different kinds (these related and external/others)
* Associated chapter bricks with task bricks

The following pictures show a prototype after a few minutes into the "game"

First layout (prototpye in progress)

First layout (prototpye in progress)

#### Stage 2[edit | edit source]

8 January 2013

User 2 associated types of bricks next to each other and also added other artifacts

Second Layout

#### Stage 3[edit | edit source]

On february 2013, the same type of layout was used. Changes:

* A new visualisation of some kind of pilot using handles
* A broken link (pink arc that doesn't connect)
* Some progress meters going up

Third layout showing some progress and new custom visualization

Third layout showing some progress and new custom visualization

### User 3[edit | edit source]

User three (on a short visit, from a different institution) was shown the boards from use 1 and 2, liked the idea. Since we didn't print any special purpose bricks, he only given standard Lego pieces:

* A medium-sized base plate
* 3x3 tiles
* 4x2 tiles
* 2x2 tiles
* 2x2 tiles with a question mark

His PHD project includes the design of a collaborative "knowledge tool", i.e. some kind of applied computer science, the kind that can be done in an interdisciplinary research lab....

#### Phase 1[edit | edit source]

Feb 26 2013 (about one week later)

Layout after a week including a printed artifact that represents a core concept of the system developed with the thesis

Layout after a week (top view)

## Bibliography[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ Schneider, Daniel, K. (2015). Visualisation de projets de thèse avec un dispositif physique et constructif. Actes de la conférence EIAH 2015, Agadir, Maroc. Preprint: http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/talks/schneide/eiah-2015/Schneider_EIAH2015-lego-final.pdf

* Denio, Donna and Dieter Reuther (2016). Build to Lead, How Lego Bricks Can Make You a Better Leader, O'Reilly. Available online (free). http://www.oreilly.com/business/free/build-to-lead.csp

* Schneider, Daniel, K. (2015). Visualisation de projets de thèse avec un dispositif physique et constructif. Actes de la conférence EIAH 2015, Agadir, Maroc.
* EIAH 2015 Poster paper (fr)
* EIAH 2015 Poster (fr)