Merge pull request #52 from uit-no/radovan/2024-survey

blog post that summarizes the 2024 survey

content/blog/2024-user-survey.md

@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
++++
+title = "Results from our 2024 user survey"
+description = "In this blog post we summarize the feedback and suggestions collected in our survey from May 2024"
+date = "2024-11-21"
+
+[extra]
+authors = "Radovan Bast"
++++
+
+<!-- toc -->
+
+
+## About this survey
+
+In May 2024 we sent out a survey to the 20 contacts we had at that time from
+weekly office hours support sessions. We received 15 responses and this blog
+post summarizes the findings.
+
+For each plot we also provide a summary in text form right below each plot.
+Further below you can find answers to free-form questions as well as
+suggestions for improvement which we received from the survey participants.
+
+We are very grateful for the feedback and suggestions and we will use them to
+improve our service and training in the future.
+
+The findings from this survey are very encouraging and we are happy to see that
+our support is appreciated and that it has a positive impact on the research
+projects at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. We will use these results not
+only to improve our services but also to communicate the value of our work to
+the university management and other stakeholders.
+
+
+## How did you hear about our research software engineering support?
+
+<img src="/blog/2024-user-survey-outreach.png" />
+
+Answers (alt-text summary):
+- From colleague: 6 answers
+- From course, workshop, or seminar: 6 answers
+- Newsletter: 1 answer
+- Other: 2 answers
+
+
+## How likely is it that you would recommend our support to a friend of colleague?
+
+<img src="/blog/2024-user-survey-recommendation.png" />
+
+0 means definitely not. 10 means definitely yes.
+
+Answers (alt-text summary):
+- 7: 1 answer
+- 9: 2 answers
+- 10: 12 answers
+
+
+## In your estimate, how much time have you saved as a result of working with us?
+
+<img src="/blog/2024-user-survey-time-saved.png" />
+
+Answers (alt-text summary):
+- Hours: 3 answers
+- Days: 3 answers
+- Weeks: 5 answers
+- Months: 4 answers
+
+
+## What could we have done better? What should we change in the way we offer support?
+
+- The only slight problem I had was I had to wait a few days for the open
+  office hours.	
+
+- I think that the support that you provide is truly unique and invaluable. I
+  cannot think of any other way it could have been better, except for being
+  more of it. What you offer is so needed by so many scientists. A lot of time
+  and money could have been saved if more scientists got this kind of help from
+  you.	
+
+- I think some more hours/days where students could get would be helpful
+  (currently I think only Wednesday is available).	
+
+- Creating a user community forum where users can share experiences, tips, and
+  solutions with each other could foster a collaborative environment and reduce
+  the load on direct support.	
+
+- Not sure. I already love this service.	
+
+- Increased capacity for statistical consulting.	
+
+- I am very satisfied with the help that I got, so this is an advice on how you
+  can do an even better job for some of your 'clients': You use vocabulary that
+  I struggle to understand, and it takes quite some effort from me to make you
+  talk in a way that is useful for me. Also, you offer help that is far beyond
+  my capacities. I am happy to discuss this with you if feel that this is a
+  field where you can improve. Just drop me an email, and we can have a chat.	
+
+- I had to switch from working with one person to working with another because
+  of sick leave and holidays. The first person was very helpful right from the
+  get-go. But the second person took too much time explaining complex things I
+  didn't need to know since I was just learning python. So it would be better
+  to assess my prior knowledge and experience with a program before diving in.	
+
+- It was an overall great experience.
+
+
+## In case our support was helpful, would you mind leaving a testimonial for our website?
+
+- I've been working with and am still working with open sourcing of a Fortran
+  source code which would be near impossible without the software engineering
+  support group.	
+
+- The Research software engineering (RSE) group helped me to improve the
+  efficiency and performance of my code (initially written in MATLAB) which was
+  taking approximately 4 weeks to complete the execution. Radovan Bast, a
+  member of RSE, helped me to migrate the code to Python during which I got the
+  opportunity to learn about new functionalities and features of pandas
+  dataframe. Additionally, in a very short span of time I learned how to
+  organize my code much more efficiently to enhance readability and
+  reproducibility. The final result of our combined effort was that we were
+  able to bring down the execution time to less than an hour!	
+
+- I have been using the online cluster to run my OpenFOAM simulations for my
+  PhD research, and I couldn't be happier with the support provided.
+  The support team is knowledgeable and responsive, always ready to help me
+  navigate through any challenges I face.  I highly recommend this service to
+  any researcher looking for reliable and efficient computational resources.
+
+- Great support. Saved me weeks and weeks of time. Super
+  helpful and friendly.	
+
+- RSE helped me adapt my analysis to run on the HPC computing cluster at UiT.
+  This cut the time to run my analysis from many days down to hours. I look
+  forward	
+
+- I got help from the RSE Group structuring my code, which has been very
+  helpful for the specific project, but also for future projects.	
+
+- The RSE group members are really smart and innovative when it comes to coding
+  and they’re able to communicate these solutions and the reasoning behind them
+  in a way that makes sense for me so that I can apply it in my future coding
+  activities.	
+
+- The RSE team made an incredible effort to both understand my problem, and
+  explain possible solutions to it in a way that I (as a relatively
+  non-technical person) could understand. When I contacted RSE, I was trying to
+  estimate a model with Bayesian estimation techniques on highly skewed data.
+  The code took forever to run, and locked up my computer. I couldn't work on
+  anything else for several hours (sometimes days) when I ran the code. The
+  analysis was exploratory, meaning that I had to run several versions of the
+  model to find the right one. With the help from RSE, I found a way to speed
+  up the code to just a few minutes. This enabled me to trouble shoot the model
+  and move forward in my analysis. Without them, I would not have been able to
+  finish the analysis! Thanks a million!	
+
+- The support offered by the research and software engineering team at UiT is
+  immensely useful to anyone who wants to integrate coding into their research.
+  Direct access to knowledgeable people allows for quick and personal
+  assistance that helped me turn an idea into reality.  In my case, the support
+  was focused on optimizing code and as a result I was able to generate results
+  within minutes instead of hours.
+
+
+## Has anything else changed in how you write code for your research after working with us?
+
+- I now know how to manage some Python environments better. Not only has my
+  problem been fixed, but also I know why what I was doing didn't work so I will
+  not run into a similar problem down the road.
+
+- I'm using GitHub.
+
+- I would like to answer that everything has changed in how I write (and work
+  with) code. Alas, I have not yet been diligent enough to implement everything
+  I have learned. But this has been a game-changer for me. After 10+ years as an
+  environmental chemist working with legacy code, without any programming
+  background/skills, a new world has opened up to me. Finally, I understand so
+  much more. This has not just helped me with my specific programming project.
+  This has changed everything in how I work with and think about my code.
+
+- Yes definitely! I always now use black to enhance readability. Also I have
+  now completely migrated to Python from Matlab for my scripts - I can see the
+  difference. Thank you for the initial push.
+
+- Yes, I now place a greater emphasis on thorough documentation and using
+  version control systems (e.g., Git) to manage my code and case setups.
+  This has greatly improved the reproducibility and collaborative aspects of
+  my research.
+
+- Yes. Started ALWAYS using environments and switched completely to python. Due
+  to the help in getting started and setting it up.
+
+- I am inspired to better document my code and structure it in a more
+  self-contained way.
+
+- Too early to say, but I hope I can continue the good habits in my next
+  project.
+
+- I have become more aware of the nuances of coding and code optimization.
+  Furthermore, I have learned a great deal about who and what to ask when
+  trying to write code that I want other people to use.

content/feedback.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+feedback:
+  - text: |
+      The Research Software Engineering Group has been of great help to me in
+      starting to use Git and organizing my code.
+  - text: |
+      The execution time for my script went down from 4 weeks to below an hour which
+      was really cool!
+  - text: |
+      Like having a personal programming coach—one who not only knows the
+      technical aspects but can also communicate effectively with non-programmers.
+  - text: |
+      If you’re considering reaching out to them, don’t hesitate — just do it. And
+      bring cookies!
+  - text: |
+      [...] open sourcing of a Fortran
+      source code which would be near impossible without the software engineering
+      support group.
+  - text: |
+      I highly recommend this service to any researcher looking for reliable
+      and efficient computational resources.
+  - text: |
+      Great support. Saved me weeks and weeks of time. Super
+      helpful and friendly.
+  - text: |
+      This cut the time to run my analysis from many days down to hours.
+  - text: |
+      I got help from the RSE Group structuring my code, which has been very
+      helpful for the specific project, but also for future projects.
+  - text: |
+     They're able to communicate these solutions and the reasoning behind them
+     in a way that makes sense for me so that I can apply it in my future coding
+     activities.
+  - text: |
+     The RSE team made an incredible effort to both understand my problem, and
+     explain possible solutions to it in a way that I (as a relatively
+     non-technical person) could understand.
+  - text: |
+     The support offered by the research and software engineering team at UiT is
+     immensely useful to anyone who wants to integrate coding into their research.

content/testimonials.md

@@ -76,3 +76,46 @@
   everything he taught (and continues to teach) me. I sincerely hope our
   collaboration continues, and if you’re considering reaching out to them, don’t
   hesitate—just do it. And bring cookies!"
+
+- I've been working with and am still working with open sourcing of a Fortran
+  source code which would be near impossible without the software engineering
+  support group.
+
+- I have been using the online cluster to run my OpenFOAM simulations for my
+  PhD research, and I couldn't be happier with the support provided.
+  The support team is knowledgeable and responsive, always ready to help me
+  navigate through any challenges I face.  I highly recommend this service to
+  any researcher looking for reliable and efficient computational resources.
+
+- Great support. Saved me weeks and weeks of time. Super
+  helpful and friendly.
+
+- RSE helped me adapt my analysis to run on the HPC computing cluster at UiT.
+  This cut the time to run my analysis from many days down to hours.
+
+- I got help from the RSE Group structuring my code, which has been very
+  helpful for the specific project, but also for future projects.
+
+- The RSE group members are really smart and innovative when it comes to coding
+  and they’re able to communicate these solutions and the reasoning behind them
+  in a way that makes sense for me so that I can apply it in my future coding
+  activities.
+
+- The RSE team made an incredible effort to both understand my problem, and
+  explain possible solutions to it in a way that I (as a relatively
+  non-technical person) could understand. When I contacted RSE, I was trying to
+  estimate a model with Bayesian estimation techniques on highly skewed data.
+  The code took forever to run, and locked up my computer. I couldn't work on
+  anything else for several hours (sometimes days) when I ran the code. The
+  analysis was exploratory, meaning that I had to run several versions of the
+  model to find the right one. With the help from RSE, I found a way to speed
+  up the code to just a few minutes. This enabled me to trouble shoot the model
+  and move forward in my analysis. Without them, I would not have been able to
+  finish the analysis! Thanks a million!
+
+- The support offered by the research and software engineering team at UiT is
+  immensely useful to anyone who wants to integrate coding into their research.
+  Direct access to knowledgeable people allows for quick and personal
+  assistance that helped me turn an idea into reality.  In my case, the support
+  was focused on optimizing code and as a result I was able to generate results
+  within minutes instead of hours.

templates/index.html

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ <h1>
     <div class="uk-width-1-3@m">
       <div uk-slideshow="autoplay: true; autoplay-interval: 5000; animation: fade; ratio: 16:8">
         <ol class="uk-slideshow-items">
-          {% set data = load_data(path="content/feedback.toml") %}
+          {% set data = load_data(path="content/feedback.yml") %}
           {% for feedback in data.feedback %}
             <h2>"{{ feedback.text }}"</h2>
           {% endfor %}