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# System prepended metadata

title: Week One Notes
tags: [JLU]

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tags: JLU
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# Week One Notes

## Understanding Discovery

Prior to our first week with Just Like Us (JLU from now on) we asked for as much Discovery material from the Explore programme as they could send us. Before we broke ground on definition work we wanted to understand more about their users and how JLU had come from initial problem areas through research and prototype testing to the solution areas outlined in our brief. Understanding this journey was our week one goal.

JLU had lots of really nicely presented documentation...Summary slides on their process with key insights and decisions, rainbow/traffic light charts with prototype testing feedback and anonymised user research and testing feedback that really helped us understand their work so far.

As we pored over their documentation during the week we extracted useful notes and dumped them under a series of headings in a Miro board. [See our Miro board](https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lWj75eQ=/).

## Friday Workshop

The aim was to re-synthesise JLU's discovery phase for ourselves in the Miro board in a manner from which we could begin to look forward thinking about definition.

Our dumped notes were themed under topics which we thought were relevant to definition and came out of our own understanding of our brief - e.g. users, platform, content, accessibility, costs etc. With colour coded sticky notes we added our own assumptions in each topic, questions or clarifications and insights of our own.

In the Friday workshop we presented the Miro work back to JLU. We discussed each section and as a group made new notes that expanded on our understanding of their users and goals for this project, validated assumptions we had made of our task and answered the clarifying questions we had.

The pattern for this was (roughly) per topic: 5 mins read and add notes then 10-15 mins discuss with questions and make further notes. The focus was more on understanding and clarifying past work than pushing to answer or define solutions. 

Overall this seemed a useful technique to download and collaboratively understand a large pool of information, although as ever with relatively free discussion, we became pushed for time - we could have been stricter on section timing, but the discussion was very insightful, and nothing crucial was missed out. 

## Slight Curveball

Our brief is to research, prototype and test features and functionality that will be developed as new services on JLU's website in a future phase. Around the middle of this week JLU learned that their engagement with their development partner for the next phase had come forward, and our initial plan for our programme approach went a bit awry.

We will meet with the development partner and JLU next week to work out the best way to situate our research/prototype/test remit and brief alongside their own preparations for the development phase. It will be important to share understanding and delegate work sensibly now as we get off the ground on this project.

## Resources and e-learning

Two areas we've been asked to explore are a resources database and an e-learning platform. Having worked with a fair few charities and non-profits aiming to transition their services online since the first lockdown began we've come across a need for a resources database and e-learning offering several times. 

While developing these systems for JLU won't be our responsibility in the end, the information from defining these routes for JLU could be of great use in the sector, and hopefully an easily reusable pattern can be established and shared.