UCAN GO November / December Blog Post

Megan’s Blog Post

Well, we’ve finally found the time to write our November/December blog post special!  November was a busy month and December is well on its way to being much the same, it’s an exciting and eventful time…

So, since October we’ve finished collecting together all the content for both the Torch Theatre and the Wales Millennium Centre, carried out agile user testing with staff and user testers in both venues and attended the third NESTA workshop.

In November we went back to the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven to collect the venue’s routing information and photographs.  After the length of time it had taken us to complete the collection of data at the WMC, we weren’t sure how long the Torch might take us.  We scheduled one day to try and complete the entire venue, which was just a little bit daunting, but we DID IT!! This was such an achievement and has given us a boost of confidence moving forward.  We can now see how our process is easily scalable and can be successful in all sorts of venues, from large to small!  It was a brilliant day and we left full of positivity for future possibilities.

At our agile user testing we met with a group of Visually Impaired young people and venue staff.  The feedback was really positive!  To see other people get so excited about the development of the app was fantastic, even if there were a few things that needed a tweak.  Luckily, Calvium had added a flagging feature to the app, which meant that during testing we could flag either a route, or part of a route, and send a message to say what wasn’t working. This has helped us to quickly iron out problems and clearly communicate any routing issues to Calvium. We’ve decided to keep this flagging feature when the app goes live, as this version of the app is just one stage of a much longer journey and we’d like to continue collecting people’s feedback.

At the beginning of December we had a great time attending the third NESTA workshop.  It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up on the progress of all the other projects, meet as a whole team and discuss the future of our projects in terms of practicalities such as our business model. If you would like to find out more about the other funded projects please go to: http://artsdigitalrnd.org.uk/projects/

The end of the project is creeping ever closer and we still have plenty to do before the app goes live.  Come back and check out our last blog post in January to hear abut what we got up to in the last few weeks of the project!

Merry Christmas!!

Post Mared

Wel dyma ni unwaith eto! Ar gyfer y blog mis yma penderfynom ni gyfuno digwyddiadau mis Tachwedd a Rhagfyr i fewn i un post gan ein bod ni mor brysur yn cwblhau’r app! Mwy prysur  nag erioed! Yn ogystal a hyn mae’r Nadolig yn agosau ac mae pawb yn dechrau arafu.  Gadewch i mi lenwi chi mewn…

Ar ddechrau mis Tachwedd  aethom ni i ymweld a theatr y Torch er mwyn casglu’r holl data ar gyfer yr elfen ‘Taith’ yn yr app. Roedd ganddom ni ddiwrnod cyfan yn unig i gasglu’r holl wybodaeth a lluniau.  Byddai’n danddatganiad i ddweud ein bod ni’n nerfus!  Doedd gennym ni ddim syniad pa mor hir oedd angen i gyflawni popeth oherwydd fod Theatr y Torch mor wahannol i gymharu a Chanolfan Mileniwm Cymru.

Ar y tren cawsom gyfle i edrych dros y mapiau a’r taenlen i wneud yn siwr fod popeth yn gwneud synnwyr i ni.  Roedd hyn yn syniad da oherwydd unwaith gyrhaeddom ni dechreuon ni weithio’n syth.  Ddaru ni ddefnyddio’r un prosesau yn y Torch a wnaethom yng Nghanolfan Mileniwm Cymru ac felly ar ol ychydig oriau fe ddaru ni gwblhau popeth! Roedd hyn yn sioc a rhyddhad pur i ni gyd!  Mae hyn yn golygu fod yna botensial i’r prosiect dyfu a datblygu ‘mhellach gan ein bod ni wedi profi cynaladwyedd y prosiect.

Ar ddiwedd y mis roedd hi’n bryd i ni gynnal mwy o weithdai profi defnyddwyr. Y tro yma mewn ffurf ystwyth.  Yn syml roedd rhaid i ni brofi’r app yn y ddau leoliad gyda nifer o bobol wahannol.  Pobol a nam golwg, ymwelwyr ac hefyd staff y theatrau.  Roedd hefyd rhaid i ni wneud lot o waith profi ein hunain, yn enwedig gwaith i’w  wneud a’r elfen ‘Taith’.  Roedd y math yma o brofi yn andros o fuddiol oherywydd ein bod ni’n cael adborth cywrain a phenodol. Yn ogystal a hyn roeddem ni’n blest cael gweld yr holl frwdfrydedd gan ddefnyddwyr a staff! Mae’n beth hyfryd i glywed cyffro pawb wrth iddyn nhw ddefnyddio’r app.  Bwriad yr holl brofion oedd i gywiro unrhyw broblemau yn yr app, casglu adborth defnyddwyr ac hefyd ceisio ymgysylltu ‘mhellach a’r staff.

Ar ddechrau mis Rhagfyr aethom ni gyd i weithdy diweddaraf NESTA.  Bwriad y gweithdy yma oedd i wneud i bob grwp feddwl yn ddwys am ddyfodol eu prosiect.  Roedd hi’n gyfle  gwych i ni gyd cael siarad a rhannu profiadau er mwyn dechrau  datblygu camau nesaf y prosiect! Cyffroes iawn!

Felly dyna ni am tro! Rhaid i mi fynd yn ol i weithio ‘nawr! Welai chi eto ym mis Ionawr am ein post olaf! Diolch i chi am ddarllen a Nadolig Llawen i chi gyd a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

UCAN Cardiff Optometry Student Volunteer Travels to Malawi

n March we wrote about how we had received a generous donation from the family of Haf Morris.  We would like to again thank Iwan and Rhian Morris as we donated some of the funds to UCAN Volunteer Georgina Lucas, a student Optometrist, who visited Malawi in September 2013.  Georgina said:

“My name is Georgina Lucas, I am currently studying Optometry at Cardiff University. In early September 2013 I went on a trip to Malawi to test peoples eyes and give out glasses where needed. The trip was organised through a charity called ‘Sight 2020 Direct’, the charity is also known as the ‘Onani Eye Foundation’ in Malawi. The team who I went with comprised of 9 people, all of varying professions, mostly eye related. Between us we managed to see over 2200 people through vision screening and sight tests.  It was an incredible experience, allowing me to gain exposure to various eye conditions that would normally have already been treated in the UK, and to practise skills that I have learnt at university. I would like to thank the family of Haf Morris for their donation via UCAN towards my trip to Malawi.”

UCAN GO October Blog Post

Megan’s Blog

October has been a busy month with a few big realizations! Firstly, we are now nearing the end of the project and we will soon have a fully functioning app. This is extremely exciting! Secondly, we still have quite a bit to do in a short space of time. Never the less since seeing the first version of what will be the finished app, we have been getting more and more excited each time we get a new update.

We have achieved a lot during theis month, from beginning to spread the word about the app to collecting all the necessary content for the Wales Millennium Centre.

At the beginning of the month Jane and I met with Hannah Rowlatt, Digital Inclusion Officer at RNIB Cymru and Robin Spinks, Principal Manager, Digital Accessibility at RNIB. We discussed the development of the app and enquired about the possibility of Welsh Siri. This was a very productive and positive meeting to have been a part of, and hearing such wonderful feedback about the app is really encouraging. It was also great to hear that we had support in beginning to campaign and look in to the addition of a Welsh Siri.

Through the combination of support from RNIB letting us use their recording studio and utilizing the fantastic skill of UCAN’s sound technician, we were able to complete all recordings of both the Wales Millennium Centre and Torch Theatre Overview sections of the app.

Mared, Louise and myself have spent a great deal of time in the WMC working to collect all the photos and additional information about each space and every floor, ready to be implemented in to the app. It has definitely been a challenging and at time confusing task to complete, but we are beginning to get to grips with our nodes and links and aim to complete what we have left in the next week or so.

Once we have all this information, we’ll be moving on to The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven. Fortunately, we hope this will be simpler as it is a smaller and less complicated venue to navigate and we’ve become something of an expert, after the WMC!

So we have quite a bit left to do! Collecting the information for the WMC and Torch, organizing a user testing sessions for members of staff at the venues and members of the steering committee, and we are hoping to arrange a last steering committee to get final feedback on everything and of course, disseminate everything we have learnt! So, plenty to be getting on with…..

Post Mared

Mae’n hawdd dweud ein bod ni wedi bod yn brysur iawn unwaith eto! Yr oedd yn naïf ohonom i feddwl na fyddem ni mor brysur erbyn hyn! Os unrhywbeth rydym yn fwy prysur nag erioed yn ceisio casglu a cyflawni’r holl waith cynnwys. Ta beth gadewch i mi lenwi chi mewn ar ddigwyddiadau mis Hydref…

Reit, ble ddechreuwn ni…

Cawsom gyfle i weld y fersiwn diweddaraf o’r app brodorol neu ‘native’ ar ffurf ‘beta’. Mae’n anhygoel i weld ein holl waith caled yn dod yn fyw o’n blaenau. Mae’n andros o gyffroes! Dwi’n gweld y potensial yn yr app a’r mwya dwi’n ‘chwarae’ arni y mwya mae’r obsesiwn yn tyfu!

Llwyddom ni i gyflawni tasg enfawr y mis yma! Tasg a oedd yn profi i fod yn hunllef i’w drefni! Hynny yw, recordio’r holl waith sain ar gyfer adran ‘Cip Olwg’ neu ‘Overview’. Diolch i stiwdio RNIB ac i Alex, dyn sain UCAN rydym wedi llwyddo i recordio popeth.

Yn ogystal a hyn rydym wedi bod yn andros o brysur yn casglu’r holl wybodaeth angenrheidiol ar gyfer yr adran ‘Taith’ neu ‘Route’. Rydym wedi gwario oriau yn cerdded o gwmpas Canolfan Mieniwm Cymru yn casglu ffotograffiau, enwi ‘nodes’ ac yn cyfansoddi’r gwybodaeth ychwanegol. Swnio’n ddigon syml tydi…ond…cofiwch fod yna chwech llawr yng nghanolfan y Mileniwm, a mae pob un ohonynt yn wahanol i’w gilydd! Dyna greulon! Rydym ni wedi llwyddo i gyflawni llawr 0,1 a 2…dim ond y gweddill i fynd! Diolch byth bod Calvium yn deall yn ddwys yr holl ochr technegol fel ein bod ni’n gallu canolbwyntio ar y gwaith ymarferol…mewn theori! Plis peidiwch a camddeall, dwi wedi cael gymaint o hwyl yn gwneud y gwaith yma. Bu yna adegau lle roeddem yn chwethin cymaint nes i ni grio! Ac hefyd adegau ble’r oeddem yn teimlo mor anobeithiol na’i gyd o’n i am wneud oedd crio, sgrechian a stompio ein traed…ac yna gadael! Erbyn hyn wrth gwrs mae’r holl broses ychydig yn haws felly dylwn ni fod yn chwethin mwy a yn crio llai!

Mae’r prosiect yma’n dechrau teimlo’n ddi -ddiwedd! Unwaith i ni orffen y gwaith ar Ganolfan y Mileniwm bydd rhaid inni ddechrau o’r dechrau gyda Theatr y Torch! Er, dylai’r holl beth fod yn haws ac yn gyflymach gan fod Theatr y Torch yn ‘fach’ i gymharu a’r bwystfil, Canolfan y Mileniwm Cymru!

Hefyd yn ogystal a hyn rydym am drefnu mwy o sesiynnau profi er mwyn casglu adborth gan y defnyddwyr, staff a’r cyhoedd. Hoffwn drefnu cyfarfod ‘Steering Committee’ arall hefyd fel bod ein aelodau ffyddlon yn cael cyfle i brofi’r app a lleisio’i barn ynglyn a’r fersiwn diweddaraf. Croesi bysedd fe eith popeth yn iawn!

Wel, well i fi fynd… Ma digon o waith da fi i wneud! Hwyl am y tro!

Meeting the ladies!

A BIG thank you to Catrin Rowlands, District Chairman of Inner Wheel, for the invitation to speak about UCAN Productions at recent Club Presidents meeting at the Aberavon Beach Hotel in Port Talbot.  A fantastic organisation doing wonderful work!

UCAN Focus Photography Project