Usability study of shift logbooks in physics experiments at CERN

dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.advisorGrey, Francois; FT
dc.contributor.authorBärlund, Mikael
dc.contributor.schoolFaculty of Electronics, Communications and Automationen
dc.contributor.schoolElektroniikan, tietoliikenteen ja automaation tiedekuntafi
dc.contributor.supervisorTakala, Tapio; Prof.
dc.date.accessioned2011-12-08T09:58:56Z
dc.date.available2011-12-08T09:58:56Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.description.abstractScientific experiments conducted at CERN are vast collaborations often concerning scientists scattered around the world. Measures have been taken for distributing the data gathered by the detectors such as ATLAS and ALICE. But not only the detector data is needed to understand what triggered the event. Entries into the logbooks used by scientists running the accelerators and monitoring the detectors are also of importance. Traditionally scientists made entries into paper logbooks regarding changes into the the setup of the experiment. Problems and solutions to them were other common entries. The paper logbook is a natural and easy to use interface for making entries. Problems arise when there is need to search logbooks and share them with a large community. Electronic logbooks make it possible to search and share logbooks. Therefore most large experiments have adopted some sort of electronic logbook. How well has the transition from paper to electronic logbooks been adopted? Does the usability of these electronic logbooks answer the needs of scientists? Do the applications offer the functionality needed by the scientists? A contextual design study was made into the use of logbooks within CERN control center (CCC) and ATLAS. This was done in order to get a better understanding about how scientists use their electronic and paper logbooks and to discover what shortcomings the electronic logbooks have compared to the paper logbook. Some new functionality that would be worth incorporating into the logbook was found, including guidance for better entries and free-form entries. The usability of the CCC eLogbook interface was evaluated. A usability evaluation of the user interface was conducted. The study revealed a set of problems and a proposal for improvement was given. The study shows that most electronic logbook used today are in-house developed applications which have an air of ad-hoc development around them. They claim to take usability into account. Still, the user-interfaces are sometimes cumbersome and lack certain functionality. Therefore paper logbook are still frequently used, mainly for personal notes. However these personal notes include calculations, problem solving, etc. which formerly was entered into official paper logbooks. This results in a coarser record of events in the electronic logbooks compared to paper logbooks.en
dc.format.extentviii, 68
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/1131
dc.identifier.urnurn:nbn:fi:tkk-012866
dc.language.isoenen
dc.locationP1fi
dc.programmeTietoliikennetekniikan koulutus-/tutkinto-ohjelmafi
dc.programme.majorVuorovaikutteinen digitaalinen mediafi
dc.programme.mcodeT-111
dc.publisherHelsinki University of Technologyen
dc.publisherTeknillinen korkeakoulufi
dc.rights.accesslevelopenAccess
dc.subject.keywordcontextual designen
dc.subject.keywordusability evaluationen
dc.subject.keywordelectronic logbooken
dc.subject.keywordCCC eLogbooken
dc.subject.keywordATLOGen
dc.subject.keywordcontextual designsv
dc.subject.keywordanvändbarhetstestningsv
dc.subject.keywordelektronisk loggboksv
dc.subject.keywordCCC eLogbooksv
dc.subject.keywordATLOGsv
dc.subject.otherElectrical engineeringen
dc.subject.otherPhysicsen
dc.titleUsability study of shift logbooks in physics experiments at CERNen
dc.typeG2 Pro gradu, diplomityöfi
dc.type.dcmitypetexten
dc.type.okmG2 Pro gradu, diplomityö
dc.type.ontasotDiplomityöfi
dc.type.ontasotMaster's thesisen
dc.type.publicationmasterThesis
local.aalto.digifolderAalto_34860
local.aalto.idinssi41390
local.aalto.openaccessyes
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