Approach

The bottom-up project approach is user driven starting from the four application scenarios addressed by four different Business Cases. Each Business Case elaborated a specific domain of the restoration/maintenance works in the construction industry, using and creating specific domain knowledge. Nevertheless, the system will be open for collection and structuring (for the later reuse) of the knowledge from all Construction Industry restoration/maintenance areas.

User’s view
From the users’ point of view, the preferred metaphor crystallised during the Business Cases description and requirements gathering were that of a “collaborative portal”, around the main areas addressed by the H-KNOW project: Knowledge Management, Collaboration management and e-Learning.

The model of the user’s view concept was created depicting an “activity-centred” view of the H-KNOW system (see next figure). Four main activities were identified: search, learn, share and collaborate. These activities reflect the main intended uses of H-KNOW as a “Small and Medium Enterprises” platform for collaboration and networking centred in information management, in the field of buildings restoration, rehabilitation and maintenance. The user’s concept should provide access to the envisaged functionalities of H-KNOW according to an easily recallable mental model that highlights the main dimensions of H-KNOW (knowledge, collaboration and learning).

 Figure 2 User’s view concept of four activities with 1st level of functionalities

Shortly summarising, the H-KNOW concept for the user should be organised along four dimensions: access to information, sharing of knowledge and learning, all this under strong collaborative practices. The first level functionalities access links are laid down against these dimensions, as presented in previous figure, in a spatial disposition that convey the belonging of a given functionality either to an individual dimensions or to two dimensions.

The basic idea for the user’s mental model of H-KNOW is thus that the system provides its main functionalities as sub-activities of each dimension or as sub-activities of the combination of two activities. Combinations of the dimensions lead to the following sub-dimensions: 

• search in shared content [search-share];
• collaborate to share content [collaborate-share] and share content to collaboration [share-collaborate];
• search content related with collaboration [search-collaborate] and collaborate in searching [collaborate-search];
• search in learning related content [search-learn];
• share learning related content [share-learn] and learn through shared content [learn-share];

Examples of user functionalities in this model can be:

• search for partners [search-collaborate]
• exchange and manage messages with project partners [collaborate]
• search for a material data-sheet [search]
• create and share a case study [share]
• create collaboratively a case of a joint project [share-collaborate]
• search for the entries of a given author in forums [search-share]
• post in a blog, discuss in a forum [share]
• search for information about courses, teaching subjects, etc. [search-learn]
• take a lesson [learn]
• create a shared learning object [learn-share]
• suggest a webinar [share-learn]