Tour:
For my observation I went and observed a tour on campus. The tour was different from others with one tour guide and instead had two guides. This is because it was a co-tour which is partially given by a trainee and partially by an experienced tour guide.
To start my observation I talked to the SHARP team's graduate assistant, Willow, and gained some information that would help me better observe the co-tour. Willow gave me a packet that includes a general outline of the tour, that way as the tour proceeded I was able to see what should happen and what was to come. Trainees for the tours study this packet so they know all the information to give to the people taking tours.
The tour started out with a brief admission counselor session which included a video of what our school has to offer, how to apply and what you need, clubs we have on campus, etc. I feel like there was no issue with the admissions counselor session because he included personal experience and referenced stuff according to their major. I feel as though the tour guides do not know all the information given out in this session which creates overlaps in both.
The tour was led by both student ambassador Lexi and trainee Riley. It started out at the Lombardo center to then end at the dorms where certain issues began to occur. In the packet given to me by Willow the stops have different definitions then what they had been giving. For example, when we were in the student memorial center neither tour guide acknowledged the Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center for Student Engagement even though it was included in the packet. In the packet as well it sections off different stops and the one stop had the guide talking about the Galley at the University Store which I feel made no sense in terms of order. While at the University Store as well Lexi mentioned the radio station and amazon partnership we are receiving for the bookstore, but Riley was unaware because nothing was in the packet. Another big one the packet did not mention but Lexi did, was Sugar Bowl and Chyrst Hall.
Overall I think some things trainees need to remember should be taken out and some things should be added in. I know the co-tour was meant to train Riley before her first alone tour, but I feel like Lexi ran the tour more. I think trainees should sit through the admission session to ensure they do not overlap information as well as providing information from the packet.
As for the User Experience terms I feel what could help me better understand the tours was Surveys given to prospective students who take the tour. I can ask them if the information they were given helped, if they had any questions, things they wish they would've known more about and how they thought about the walk around campus. I could also take a cognitive walkthrough of the tour. This can help me get in the perspective of a student looking at schools and take the tour as if I was a prospective student.
Lab:
As for my other observation I sat in the lab and watched what students would do in the midst of projects due. There has been an issue in the lab that has been trying to be solved for awhile. Students feel as if they can come in the day of their project to print or feel the time to print is similar to that of a regular household printer or about 1-2 minutes. I decided to observe based off the knowledge that projects were due all last week into this week.
On Monday, at 1:30 about 7 people came in looking to print 2 things each for a class at 3. I was not the lab tech, so I sat and observed what was done. Some people did not have an idea of what paper they wanted so they asked if they could see the types. Others continually asked when the print was ready or if it was their turn yet. The printer had a malfunction which delayed the process even further and the lab tech did not follow the rule of printing 30 minutes before class. Another example is Tuesday from 11:55-1:10 about 5 people came in expecting to print 1-2 prints each. This situation was hectic because students were also using the hallway printer to print for their class that started at 1:10, so I had to continually restock the hallway printer since they used lots of paper for their print. People were coming up to me again not knowing what they wanted to print on and not specifying what size their document was or what they were printing all together. I had someone come up to me at 1 ignoring the sign that was in front of the desk to ask if they could print because they had work later that night and did not want to get up at 8am to print before their 9am class that is Wednesday.
The problems that lie here are people being unaware of the time it takes to print as well as not knowing different paper types and what that entails. Also the wave of people seems to happen at the same times during the day and the lab is not able to combat with this wave of people.
I think for this observation I would use the Five Whys Analysis to ask why they come in right before class, why they do not know the 30 minute rule, why they do not know the paper type, why they do not know how long it takes to print a project, etc. I also think a photojournal could be helpful in seeing what times are the most used in the lab. I think this could help the lab better understand how to combat the issues with that knowledge.
Lab information received from observation:
- Times and how many people come in
- When people are most likely to print
- If people know what paper they want to print on and if they have a flashdrive
Friday through Sunday (weekend)
- Friday
- from 10 am -12 pm: maximum of 5 people in the lab and 3 prints in total (2 on Ricoh and 1 on 4900 printer)
- from 12 pm- 5 pm: 16 prints (4 on 9890, 6 on 4900 and 6 on Ricoh)
- Most prints done from 1-5
- Saturday
- from 1pm-3:30pm: 2 prints done on 4900
- Prints done around 1-1:30
- Sunday
- Sunday 12 pm-8pm: 16 prints made
- from 8pm-12am: 4 people in the lab and no prints because they needed to get a print voucher
Weekdays
- Monday (there is a project due at 3 o'clock)
- 7 people came in
- Each printing 2 per person
- About 4 done by 3 and the rest had to be done by the next lab tech
- Tuesday and Thursday (11:55am-1:10pm)
- 6 prints made on Thursday (I printed as well to see if I would have trouble, but printed right before the block of time)
- 7 prints made on Tuesday in this block of time (30 minute rule not enforced)
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