Sakai 2.9 Portal Project
Charles Severancewww.dr-chuck.com
Why?
• Sakai 2.9 development cycle is the longest we have ever had (Jan-Sep 2011)
• Build a look-and-feel bridge to the well-thought-out OAE User Interface (and pretty)
• Sakai 2.5 – 2.8 were all pretty much bug fixes – that is nearly 4 years of non-progress on UI
• The rest of the market has made major UI revisions
More Why?
• Need to give Sakai commercial affiliates something that will compete
• New Look may re-energize, re-focus, and give purpose the Sakai CLE developer community
• TCC governance of CLE allows agility – can get quick and direct feedback
• The IMS Common Cartridge Specification is likely to be a major differentiator in 2011-2012
Why: OAE/CLE Future
OAE CLE
Hybrid
I expect we will likely see all three permutations in production at scale for years.
Portal Changes
Sakai 2.9 Portal+ Goals
• Default CLE Nav to look like OAE Nav – not a clone – homage
• Course Navigation Prefs will be in Portal• Integrate parts of Profile2 into the portal• Integrate Lesson Builder into the Portal• New presence/chat (IM/Facebook/OAE style)• Evaluate Profile2 Tool
Approach for 2.9 portal
• Evolutionary not revolutionary• Add to – don't rewrite• Maintain compatibility forward and
backwards – don't break existing portal• Few / moderate database conversions• No backslide on performance / scalability• Prototype quickly and react
SI791
http://www.dr-chuck.com/si791-sak/
SI791 Plan
• Team of Students– UI/UX– Graphic Design– Programming – JAVA/HTML
• Start looking at Sakai CLE 2.8– Usability, brainstorming, maybe even QA
• Look at Sakai OAE 1.0• Look at www.edmodo.com
http://www.edmodo.com/public/si791-sak/group_id/161836Contact Chuck for Edmodo group code
Technical Approach
• NEO look will be Velocity/CSS work – limited tweaks to the Java portal code
• Portal will still produce an entire page for a GET (i.e. no separate AJAX loading of page text)
• AJAX/lazy Loading for user actions like activating chat or changing a preference
Portal Changes
Sites Social Si539 Si502
??
http://www.edmodo.com/
Profile2
• Evaluate Usability / do QA• Evaluate performance if we are making it part
of portal• Can we morph Profile2's activities to be a wall
tool?
Lesson Builder Tasks
• Evaluate usability• Do QA• Rutgers production experience will be
valuable• Improve the UX (evolutionary suggestions)• Add Common Cartridge Import and Export
http://jira.sakaiproject.org/browse/SAK-17524
Adrian's Floating Chat
SI 791: Independent Study
Caitlin Holman, Nikola Collins, Dan Stuart
Redesigning the 2.9 Portal with the User in Mind
• What are the current ‘pain points’ for CTools users?
• What could we discover from regular CTools users who were studying to become user experience designers?
Redesigning the 2.9 Portal with the User in Mind
Guiding Questions
Redesigning the 2.9 Portal with the User in Mind
User Interviews
“Everything is buried so many layers deep. The navigation is hard work right now.”
“Everything is buried so many layers deep. The navigation is hard work right now.”
“There's no good search functionality.”“There's no good search functionality.”
“That first page is a waste, there's never any content on it.”
“That first page is a waste, there's never any content on it.”
“All the course numbers start getting confusing after you get a lot of classes in there, especially since they never disappear from the nav bar.”
“All the course numbers start getting confusing after you get a lot of classes in there, especially since they never disappear from the nav bar.”
“If I want to see an old class or group it’s a pain to find it.”
“If I want to see an old class or group it’s a pain to find it.”
Redesigning the 2.9 Portal with the User in Mind
Brainstorming Solutions
Redesigning the 2.9 Portal with the User in Mind
Sketches
SI 622: Evaluation of Systems and Services
Sayan Bhattacharyya, Elliott Andrew Manzon, Rachael Shaney, Amelia
Mowry
Key Changes• Modern look• Updated Navigation System• Instant Message chat• Personal Profile• Lesson builder tool
Methods• 6 subjects• 3 Tasks to complete ranging in difficulty from
simple to complex• All experienced with Ctools (Range:1-6 years,
M = 3.5 yr)• Undergraduates and Graduates• 3 had experience with similar software at
previous college
Methods
MethodsVideo RecordingVideo Recording Screen CaptureScreen Capture
Tasks1. Create a profile. Upload a profile picture,
enter your favorite movie, major, etc.2. Create a new project group page. Invite
group members, upload a document3. Remove a class from your navigation bar, add
your project group to the navigation bar
Task 1: Create a Profile
Time to complete task• Subject #1 5 minutes• Subject #2 4 minutes• Subject #3 4 minutes• Subject #4 6 minutes• Subject #5 5 minutes• Subject #6 7 minutes – failed to complete
task
Findings• Editing information can be confusing• Rollover can be missed
Task 1: Findings• Uploading a picture is relatively easy• Privacy settings a little overwhelming, but
easy to understand
Task 1: User Feedback• Most users didn’t think they would use it• Felt too much like Facebook• Feeling “profile fatigue”
Task 1: Recommendations• Make an always visible edit button for profile
information rather than roll over• Consider simplifying privacy features• Profile should be a low priority for Sakai after
usability issues and other features have been addressed
• Greatest value might be for professors and GSI’s
Task 3: Reorganize Visible Sites• Remove SI 642 from top navigation bar
Task 3: Reorganize Visible Sites• Drag and drop to rearrange
Task 3: Results• No subject took more than 2 minutes• One subject quit after missing “Preferences”
link need to complete task• Others had no problem• Found drag and drop system easy and
intuitive
Task 3: Recommendations• Make an edit link visible on top navigation bar• “Drawer” is confusing to users, remove the
term from description
Summary
Sakai 2.9 Portal @ UMich
• Neo Portal is the Default– Navigation shortcuts based on making common
tasks are "closer" with fewer clicks
• Will need to tweak skins for Neo• You can switch back (not site by site)
– portal.templates=defaultskin– Old velocity templates, skins, and custom skins are
untouched and unmoved – patches still will work
Sakai 2.9 Lesson Builder @ Rutgers
• This is game changer• Structured content was our last major gap
compared to Blackboard, Moodle, and Desire2Learn particularly for distance education
• IMS Common Cartridge Import in 2.9– Very nice because it was in from the ground-up
• IMS LTI 1.0 (Basic) integrated• Has been in production for a while at Rutgers and
elsewhere
Sakai 2.9 Facebook Chat @LANCS
• Adrian Fish of Lancaster• Uses JGroups for presence communication• Need some experience / QA testing• Properties
– portal.neochat=false– portal.neoavatar=false
2.9 IMS Standards Support
• IMS Common Cartridge 1.0 Import• IMS Common Cartridge 1.1 Import• IMS Learning Tools Interoperability 1.0 (BLTI)
– New UI similar to Moodle, D2L, Instructure in 2.9
• IMS LTI 1.1 (Draft 11) complete with POX-style grade return
2.10 Possible Task List
• UMich Dashboard to complete UI design• Activity Tracking in Lesson Builder• Worksite Setup Rework• JSR-168 iFrame Portlet (already there in LTI)• Improve Message Pump – JGroups?• Fine tuning how Lesson Builder connects with
tools• Pick a VPPA tool and reduce state / REST urls• Experience with the Facebook chat / JGroups
Dashboard In Progress @ UM
Volunteer Leadership
• This is volunteer driven open source – Chuck Hedrick– Steve Swinsberg– Adrian Fish– Gonzalo Silverio– Aaron Zeckoski– Sam Ottenhoff– Many others...
Summary
• This takes a safe path to move the CLE forward toward the OAE – low risk – low hanging fruit
• Close the gap with competitors UI-wise• Give commercial partners something to
market in 2011