Longitudinal Case Study Evaluation of The Vistorian

This study was certified according to the Informatics Research Ethics Process, RT number 2019/67905. Please take time to read the following information carefully. You should keep this page for your records.

What is the purpose of the study?

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the utility and use of the Vistorian, an online platform for network visualization. Through this research we try to understand more about the sense-making process and the decisions the user takes through his interactions with the platform, questionnaires filled and interviews with the team.

Why have I been asked to take part?

We are inviting you to participate in this research study because you have expressed an interest in using novel user interfaces for network visualization..

Do I have to take part?

No – participation in this study is entirely up to you. You can withdraw from the study at any time, without giving a reason. Your rights will not be affected. If you wish to withdraw, contact the PI. We will stop using your data in any publications or presentations submitted after you have withdrawn consent. However, we will keep copies of your original consent, and of your withdrawal request.

What will happen if I decide to take part?

After you agree to participate you will be asked to fill an entry questionnaire and you may attend a training session (tutorial) that takes 1 to 3 hours. Through this session you will use the interface as guided in the tutorial with demo data provided by the team. Otherwise, you are asked to use the interface naturally in your own work environment, to conduct your normal work.

At the end of the session you will be given an exit questionnaire to fill. We will have a personal meeting with you (in person or electronically) at the start and end of the study to document your use of the tool, and - if appropriate - additional meetings or dropins at regular intervals chosen by you. Each subsequent meeting will take less than an hour.

Your actions on the computer may be partially logged depending on your acceptance of the consent form of using the VistorianLab feature. This will be used for later data analysis. Case studies may last 2 – 12 weeks, depending on your use of the system. The actual committed time will depend on how much you use the system. Through those conducted sessions the researchers will discuss your workflow and issues that you might have faced during your work.

You can participate in the study by signing the consent form. You can participate in the study by enabling the Bookmarking tool and agreeing to the consent. As long the Bookmark is enabled, interactions and activity will be logged. You can stop the logging process at any time by disabling the Bookmark tool.

Are there any risks associated with taking part?

There are no significant risks associated with participation.

Are there any benefits associated with taking part?

During the research, you will have the opportunity to discuss your analysis with the Vistorian team and obtain first-hand answers to your questions.

What will happen to the results of this study?

The results of this study may be summarised in published articles, reports and presentations. Quotes or key findings may be used in an anonymized form: We will remove any information that could, in our assessment, allow anyone to identify you or your data. With your consent, information can also be used for future research. Your data may be archived for a minimum of 2 years.

Data protection and confidentiality.

Your data will be processed in accordance with Data Protection Law. All information collected about you will be kept strictly confidential. Your personal data will be anonymized. Your data will only be viewed by the researcher/research team. [Mashael AlKadi, Benjamin Bach, Jean-Daniel Fekete, Catherine Plaisant, Vanesssa Serrano] All electronic data will be stored on a password-protected encrypted computer, on the School of Informatics’ secure file servers, or on the University’s secure encrypted cloud storage services (DataShare, ownCloud, or Sharepoint) and all paper records will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in the PI’s office. Your consent information will be kept separately from your responses in order to minimise risk. No personal information will be collected or saved within the Log data. The Log data will be saved on a secure server which is accessible only by the Vistorian team. It will not be disclosed to others and the data will be discarded after the study is over. The data you upload and visualize (e.g., the data you are analyzing) remains on your computer and is not transferred anywhere else. No one - including the Vistorian team - can see the data being analysed by you, the visualizations you generate, or the notes saved with the bookmarks unless you decide to share them on your own. You can stop participating in the logging part of the study at any time by turning off the VistorianLab mode. You can stop participating in the study as at any time by emailing the researchers, which will stop the logging of activity data and erase the bookmarks. You will be able to participate again, by turning on the VistorianLab mode.

What are my data protection rights?

The University of Edinburgh is a Data Controller for the information you provide. You have the right to access information held about you. Your right of access can be exercised in accordance with the Data Protection Law. You also have other rights including rights of correction, erasure and objection. For more details, including the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office, please visit www.ico.org.uk. Questions, comments and requests about your personal data can also be sent to the University Data Protection Officer at dpo@ed.ac.uk. For general information about how we use your data, go to: edin.ac/privacy-research

Who can I contact?

If you have any further questions about the study, please contact the lead researcher, Mashael AlKadi. If you wish to make a complaint about the study, please contact inf-ethics@inf.ed.ac.uk. When you contact us, please provide the study title and detail the nature of your complaint.

Updated information.

If the research project changes in any way, an updated Participant Information Sheet will be made available on https://web.inf.ed.ac.uk/infweb/research/study-updates or the the project’s wiki https://vistorian.github.io/.