Collaborative projects – whether it’s building a website or designing a proposal – requires a variety of skills and contributions. While some contributions matter more than others, no work should ever be overlooked. Combining a web-based interface with open-source wearable tech, Spectrm is a system that would enable teams working on collaborative projects to make all participation visible.
With Spectrm, you track the time, duration, and difficulty of your work which is then uploaded to the project’s GitHub repository. Once uploaded, your input can be viewed by the entire team who is then able to give it rating. Utilizing a point system, any and all work that you perform can be given a numerical value according to three simple categories: Design, Labor, and Administrative. With Spectrm, you can show your colors in the kaleidoscope of collaboration.
Any work performed, whether culminating in a deliverable or otherwise, is logged by the user using either a wearable tech or mobile app. The information recorded includes the date and time, as well as the duration of the work performed are automatically logged by the device. After prompting the device to cease recording, the user then inputs three ratings for self-review of that recorded session based on a numerical value system.
This system operates on a range from 0 – 255 for three different categories wherein 0 signifies no contribution to a particular category while 255 signifies an extremely high level of contribution to a category. The categories are Design, Labor, and Administration and each category must be rated from 0 to 255 for every session recorded. Some contributions logged may be valuable exclusively to Design while other may be valuable to a mixture of all three categories. For example, if I spend time on a conference call about the project and then proceed to draft a grant proposal, my work would have contributed to all three categories.
After the recorded session is uploaded from the device to the GitHub repository for the project for which this work is relevant, other contributors to this project are then able to rate the contribution against the same numerical metric. Once the project is completed, each member receives a badge reflecting the total work performed by each individual according to the Spectrm rating they received. The badge will be a color determined by the Spectrm rating based on the RGB system for turning three numerical digits each between 0 and 255 into a color. Thus, Design will be visualized as the color red; Labor as the color green; and Administrative as the color blue. The badge will naturally be a visualization of these categories through color and luminosity.
These badges will be attached to each individual on their personal profile of the Spectrm website where users can use the Spectrm rating system to create future teams.
- A design for physical tech or mobile app that can:
a) Acquire current date and time, operate a timer initiated and stopped by the user, and prompt the user to input three numerical ratings from 0 to 255;
b) Send a file with this information to an existing repository on GitHub associated with the project to which the user is contributing.
- A design for a web-based interface that:
a) Logs all Spectrm contributions submitted to a project repository;
b) Allows team members to add their own rating of value on the contributions submitted by their collaborators;
> *Online, user-generated polls that can be distributed via short links can be used as a model for how multiple users can input ratings via a web-interface. This model would have to be adjusted to make access only available to members of the project and to update the document after a new rating has been added.*
c) Saves this data back to the GitHub project repository.
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A design for a social-networking website (e.g. Spectrm.com) where:
Numerous professional social network sites exist that perform similar functions which can be used as basic models. One example is http://www.1procrew.com/ which is used in the professional film, photography, and production industries. Each member has their own customizable profile where unique description can be entered along with values attached to pre-determined fields that are pertinent to the field. In the case of 1procrew.com, expertise with particular cameras or lighting equipment is executed with a numerical value between 1 and 5.
a) Users have personal profiles for the purposes of networking with potential collaborators on future projects; b) Each completed project results in a badge based on the Spectrm rating received for that project;
c) Users advertise their cumulative Spectrm badges as well as any pertinent skills;
d) The users’ GitHub accounts are directly linked to their Spectrm profile.
For the purposes of this class, only a small portion of the deliverables above can be accomplished. The true purpose of Spectrm is to enable previously overlooked to be included in the way we determine contribution to collaborative projects. For this reason, the wearable tech device and the social networking site are non-essential and can be considered only once the fundamentals of the system are completed and necessary funding is secured. The fundamental elements of Spectrm are:
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A way to log work performed, including through manual data entry;
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The creation of a readable file that holds three numerical values;
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Saving that file with a customizable filename that can inform others as to the nature of the work this file pertains to;
Additional details about the nature of work performed such as the content, the result, etc. can be included as additional information in the file to make reviewer more informed.
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Sending this file to the desired GitHub directory;
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Allowing other people to edit that file so that additional ratings are added;
a) Restricting access to the file to specified individuals (perhaps through private links).
- Saving that file to the repository after each successive edit.
These five tasks are essential to the core of making Spectrm work, i.e. giving contributions that are notoriously difficult to substantiate an identifiable structure. GitHub already employs a visual representation of contributions but is limited the kind of work that can be integrated. This system expands on that methodology of making contribution a visual element.
- Designers (1-2).
a) Researching all visual aspects of the project including UI, UX, and branding.
b) Creating layouts for user-interfaces.
c) Generating copy.
d) Working with developers to integrate simplicity of use with functionality.
e) HTML; CSS
- Developers (2-4).
a) Building various environments for data collection, storage, and movement.
b) Ensuring that Spectrm can integrate into the GitHub system effectively.
c) JavaScript; SQL
- Producers (1-2).
a) Estimating time and cost; scalability and feasibility.
b) Coordinating project schedules.
c) Prioritizing team resources.
d) Quality Assurance.