Vocabulary Interoperability Exercises
Some exercises using MMI Logo Controlled Vocabularies
These exercises have been developed to use with the MMI Brand Controlled Vocabularies. This version of the document represents the initial concept for these exercises, which was modified for the actual workshop. Based on lessons learned during the workshop, further improvements will be made.
We will be working with some sets of words, as in the enclosed PDFs. Think of them as two controlled vocabularies, or CV for short (sorry). I'm calling one of them the Science CV, and one the Data CV. Everyone will receive a set of words in a handout.
1) Controlled Vocabulary Password
Everyone's handout will include a label that can be worn so the wearer can't see it. The label will be one of the words in the CV. Each person will be responsible for putting their label on someone else with the same CV type.
To make interoperability easier, everyone will be asked to lay out their CV the same way.
Everyone has up to 5 minutes to go around with their CVs in hand and get other people to pick a term that helps them guess their own label (but not pick the label itself, of course). Then each person has to try to guess their own label.
Discoveries: More words = better description. Longer descriptions = better description. Familiarity with CV = faster. It's easy to confuse similar words. The smart clue providers will figure out they can start making sentences with the picked terms, as in west = 'not' + 'east'. (How cool is *that*?)
2) Definitions
Each person will receive two sets of 5-word lists, 1 from the Science CV and one from the Data CV. They have 3 minutes to write down definitions for those 5 words. Then they have to exchange their definitions with someone else, who has to guess the words that correspond to the definitions.
Repeat this exercise; the first time the 5-word list is from their own CV type, the second time it is from the other CV type. The first time they exchange the definition with someone who has the same CV type, the second time they exchange it with someone who has the opposite. (So a Science CV owner will try to guess definitions of Science words written by a Technology CV owner.)
Discoveries: Writing definitions is hard (but better than just words, maybe!). Familiarity with the CV domain is a big help. It's hard to distinguish similar words.
3) Tagging
In the front of the room (on a metal board) we have 2 topics (maybe written many times, to make space for everyone).
A) What do you want to get out of this workshop?
B) What are the biggest needs for interoperability?
Participants go the front of the room and can use up to n terms (10? each?) any way they want, to fill out the 2 questions.
Discoveries: 220 words isn't enough. What people want to get out of the workshop. Uses of tagging and common vocabularies. Influence of vocabularies on answers.
Posted September 5th, 2008 by graybeal