dmccaff4@asu.edu
Arizona State University
Timezone: Eastern U.S.
Campus Champion
Senior Software Application Analyst, Cyber-infrastructure (CI) Facilitator
https://search.asu.edu/profile/4745435
Availability:
Friday 1/31 from 2-4 | Monday 2/3 from 11-1 | Friday 2/7 from 11-1 | Friday 2/7 from 2-4 |
Interviewers:
Dina Meek, Matt Yoder
...
Task 1: Where would you go to find out what type of research is being conducted using ACCESS? Is your institution’s area of research/study/classroom activity represented on the ACCESS website?
Went to find info for you for researchers; then get started; then found news stories/tagshaving different sizes of font is distracting
Get started or find info for you look promising
Find info for you
For researcher
How to get started
This isn’t right; this is about how to use ACCESS
Go back -> Get Started
Tried I am a researcher - same page
See how ACCESS is advancing science
This goes to the news section
Keywords - I want to search based on these
Found tags
Having different sizes is distracting/offputting
Bigger words are the most used domains
Click on Chemistry tags
I’m interested in this article!
Task 2: Where can you find information specifically targeted for you?
went to find info for younoted the “find info…” tab didn’t have a rollover dropdown, you have to clickI already tried that one!
Find info for you
I found that one several ways
Find info for you don’t have information on mouseover
Not consistent with other items in universal nav
Task 3: Are you eligible to use ACCESS? Where can you find eligibility requirements?Went to about, then find info for you - found the quick link
Look at the about page
That’s just about the program
Find info for you
Go to researchers
Found in quick links
Task 4: Find information about the cost to use ACCESS.
struggled to find this infologged in to try to find it
thinks there might need to be a page titled “cost” or “pricing”
Try support Q/A tool
Need to log on
Tried logging on with ASU
Error: user not registered
Oh, I have an ACCESS account
Try to search for ACCESS pricing
Results show lots of other ACCESS terms
Frustrating!
Task 5: What is an ACCESS resource? Where can you find the type of resources that are available through ACCESS? How would you select an ACCESS resource?
Went to Resources top nav; noted it would be helpful to have some explanation for the tags/filterspeople may not care where machines are located; probably would mostly look at Resource Types
might be helpful to have some of what these resources can do
felt like the tags are more useful than the boxed items at the top
Resources menu in universal nav
We see all the resources
They have tags - pretty cool
Is there anything that explains what these tags are
No not currently
Selecting a resource
I would use these filters
The way they’re designed graphically is very nice
Resource provider may not be that helpful for most people
Resource type is helpful
Helpful to have different computational types
Bioinformatics, image analysis, etc.
Would you use the other options at the top of the resource catalog page
Probably not
The other information on the page is more eye catching
If I couldn’t find the filters there, I’d try to get help
Task 6: What is an allocation? What types of allocation projects can you apply for? How do they differ from one another?Went to
Look at allocations menu
scrolled to the footer to Project Types
Found definition
What types can you apply for
Found project types in footer
Or get your first project
Link to project types
Allocations home page -> resource units
Project types -> credits
Nothing on this page about what credits are
Found credit concept confusing when first got started with ACCESS
language is confusing - resource units vs. credits
no explanation of what credits are
Matt asked if a video might be helpful
She felt maybe something graphical to explain the Credits concept
Task 7: Where would you go to find the definition of an unfamiliar term or phrase used in ACCESS?
Started on the homepage; scrolled to footer but didn’t catch it;recommended adding it as a menu item; not general HPC terms tho
Menu items don’t look promising
Go to open a help ticket
Didn’t find glossary on her own
Suggested putting it as a menu item
Glossary
These are program-specific, not HPC terms
Even experienced HPC people won’t know these terms
Task 8: Where can you go for help to use the ACCESS system? Where can you go to open a help ticket?
Might not click “support” first; went to contact ACCESSSupport menu
I wouldn’t click that first
On most sites, it’s for documentation and forums
Scroll down to the bottom to find contact us in footer
Open a help ticket
Task 9: If you want to get involved and volunteer with the ACCESS community where would you go?
Sounds like a forum to her; knew those would be under support; went to Overview; went to ask.cimeUsually under support
Support -> Community menu
I’m not sure what any of these things mean
Start with Overview
Looking for something like http://Ask.CI
Probably wouldn’t be interested in affinity groups if I was looking for something specific
Where would you go to interface just with ACCESS people (e.g., to volunteer)
Thought maybe CSSN
Looking and support site footer
Not seeing a menu item or link that screams volunteer
I would look for something specifically called volunteer
Would not think to look under About
But once I got there, I would click Get Involved
Would search
Q/A Bot is first
Have to log in
Would be helpful to have the search box first
Found volunteering under search
struggled to find where to volunteer; that word isn’t prominent; did not expect to find under “about” but then easily found “get involved”
suggested Search should be above chat bot
Task 10: What’s the first step to get started using ACCESS?
Went right to get started on the home page
Looking for something called “Get started”
Found get started button on home page
“Find info for you” could be renamed to “get started”
“Find info for you” is not a common phrase on website
People wouldn’t be sure what to do with it
did suggest “find info for you” should be “get started”
Task 11: Where can you find information about citing ACCESS in your publications?
This is something I’d probably look for in About
Found acknowledging ACCESS
Went to About - Acknowledging ACCESS; most people may not know they need to acknowledge individual systems
Task 12: Where do you go to find Systems Status?
Went to resources; clicked on a resource; then tried User Guide;Resources
Click the resource
Jump to’s don’t look promising
Clicked wait time chart
Didn’t find it on the resource catalog page
Try the user guide
Note: most people don’t realize they need to cite individual systems
Don’t see it here
Search “status” on PSC website
Not at all what I need
Complete change in branding between ACCESS site and resource site
Google “Bridges-2 status”
Got to support outages page
Slack has a nice outages page
We may need to show affirmatively that there are no outages
Not just the absence of an outage notice
Noted it’s jolting when you go off site to a particular resource’s home page (ie PSC bridges); Googled it and it took her to support; Support is where you can find these, but we may need more clear direction; Shared how Slack does it
More experienced user questions:
Task 13: Do you know what the XDMod tool is used for and how to find it?
Go to resource and look for XDMod
Resource catalog
Go to resource page
User guide
Couldn’t find it in PSC search
Researcher landing page
This is a “get started” kind of thing
I’d look for something like “current users”
Like prospective students vs. current student on university site
She said she’d got to the individual resources; and would search XDMoD; she usually links from Open On-demand from the ASU resource
noted the landing pages look more like they are just for new people; maybe need more language around info for current users
Task 14: Can you find what resources are running PyTorch?Went first to resources; went to SDS link (it wasn’t loading!); she was looking for a PyTorch filter; possibly mention the action you need to take on the resources page (i.e. get suggestions might change);
Looked in resource catalog
Couldn’t find filter
Found get suggestions (ARA)
But it didn’t load
This looks like a ticket
I wound’t submit it
might need a link from Resources page; felt like the resource advisor looked like it will be a ticket which will take to long (but it doesn’t)
Task 15: Can you find a resource that runs ACCESS On-Demand?Went to the Resources page; found the tags
Found filter on resource catalog page
Task 16: Can you find an Affinity Group for FABRIC users?
Where did I see affinity groups
Went to
support site
Found affinity groups
These were in several places
Search for Fabric
Found it
Task 17: Where can you go for training to use ANVIL?
Events and Trainings menu
That’s interesting - I wouldn’t think to look under affinity groups
I’d look for a category call resources
Went to Support; Events and training; was surprised to see it under “Affinity Group”; would have thought it’d say “Resources”
Task 18: Can you find how to get started with ACCESS MATCH services to help you with your research project?
Saw it on support site (already there)
Would look under resources
This is just machines…
…Oh, but it is there! Cool!
Thought it should really be under “resources” in the filter not “affinity groups”; did find it on the resources page
Task 19: Please review this page and suggest any additions or deletions.
https://access-ci.org/get-started/for-programs-organizations/ Need to frame this more as “collaborating”; thought Science Gateway people would first look at the RP page (but didn’t think it was really there); said she usually defaults to contact page and would open a ticket; felt like this title seems too targeted at leaders who might need to interface with higher level ACCESS leadershipFrom the point of view of these groups, I wouldn’t be looking to use ACCESS resources. I’d be looking to collaborate.
Might want to talk to the ACCESS program about
From science gateways, if I wanted to host something, I’d look under resource providers
Wouldn't click on quick links to talk about hosting
I’d go to the contact page
Open a ticket
This is not the information writ large that I would expect
Would this be helpful if you were a campus champion?
What recommendations would you have?
TItle “programs and organizations” suggests that it’s the leadership of the organization
Campus champions - I would not click on programs and organizations
I’d go to the researchers page and start looking for things if there wasn’t something called out for facilitators
Need to frame this more as “collaborating”
Task 20: What type of HPC resources are your stakeholders looking for? Have any of your stakeholders reported back their experience working with ACCESS?
We have a large cluster of our own
Most people are not going to ACCESS for basic HPC
Some people interested in niche things like Neocortex
Large GPU clusters
Extra GPU capacity
Most of hers are going to ACCESS for very niche things: Neocortex; large GPU clusters
Final Thoughts
ACCESS credits vs resource units
Sounds like they should be the same thing
Understand why it was done
Wouldn’t necessarily want a video
But a graphic that explains it (e.g., with money might be helpful)
Anything else?
I don’t know that researchers coming in fresh would know the word “allocation”
That could be confusing
They’d probably be looking for a pricing page
Wrap up, thank you, at end of interview save transcript