A Conservation Treatment Record Database App Designed for The Postal Museum
| Sponsor: | The Postal Museum |  |
| Sponsor Liaison: | Jackie Coppen | |
| Student Team: | Jace Howhannesian, John Morgan, Anastasia Pashukov, Michael Zamora | |
| Abstract: | The Postal Museum (TPM) is a cultural heritage institution responsible for the preservation and sharing of British postal history. The former is accomplished in large part through conservation treatments, where accurate, consistent record keeping is essential; however, TPM’s current conservation treatment record (CTR) management system has inconsistent formatting and is difficult to use. To address this issue, we created ConservationHub, a bespoke database application that upholds conservation and CTR best practices, determined via interviews with conservators and CTR experts, while integrating efficiently into conservators’ workflow. Using Microsoft PowerApps with Power Automate and Sharepoint, we developed features such as searchability and record creation, storage, display, and sharing. | |
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Introduction
Located in Camden, London, The Postal Museum (TPM) is a cultural heritage organization dedicated to sharing the story of the British Post Office. In order to communicate the rich history of the mail service, postal artifacts are put on display for the public to view and
learn about in their exhibition. Upkeep of these and the many other items in TPM’s domain is vital to their mission and includes conservation treatments to help keep items in proper shape to handle and view without further damage. Documentation of these treatments is stored in Conservation Treatment Records (CTRs) and is essential for conservation, as being able to track previous work on an object allows conservators to make informed decisions on further treatments. However, TPM’s CTR management system conservation has several issues that negatively impact the conservators’ efficiency and recordkeeping ability. For example, files of records are not stored in any consistent manner, making finding specific records virtually impossible.
The goal of this project was to design and create a database application which would link a structured database of TPM’s CTRs and other similar records to an intuitive User Interface (UI). This was accomplished by 1) determining best practices for CTR management via interviewing conservators and CTR experts throughout the UK, then 2) identifying the precise needs of TPM by interviewing TPM conservators and staff. This data was then 3) incorporated into the design of our database app, ConservationHub. App prototypes were 4) tested regularly throughout the development process, followed by implementation of ConservationHub at TPM and software training.
Methodology
The first two objectives were completed using a combination of interviews and focus groups, conducted with a variety of interviewees from different museums and organizations. First, we were put in contact with conservators from outside institutions to gather information on what systems they use to manage their treatment records. These interviews tended to be a mixture of formal and informal, where we asked questions such as “How do you format and store your records?” and “What do you like and dislike about your current record management system?”. This step was taken to ensure we had a good understanding of best practices in the field of conservation treatment recordkeeping. We then conducted a focus group with the future users of our app. We brought together TPM conservators and staff to start a conversation about specifics they would like to see in a database app and issues they were experiencing with their current record management system. We also conducted separate interviews with other staff members to get insight into how our app could integrate with their departments’ workflow. Questions similar to those offered to interviewees at other museums were posed to the group, aiming to get a better understanding of what data should be included and how data should be stored and presented, which in turn helped direct our design process.
For the actual construction of the app, we looked to Microsoft Power Platform. The use of Microsoft programs allowed for seamless integration into preexisting Microsoft-based TPM systems and easier security management, as well as straightforward communication between the programs. Sharepoint became our primary program for the database due to its file system and customizable metadata columns, which we used to store data for the Search and Filter functionality. We used Power Apps to build the front end of the app, creating menus and screens through which users can access and create records without ever needing to interact with Sharepoint directly. A useful link between the aforementioned programs was Power Automate, an algorithm builder, which we used to pass data and commands between the front and back end. We aimed to design and develop different functionalities in a “design sprint” manner, where we focused on one aspect at a time, moving from Search & Filter to Displaying Records to Record Creation & Editing.
Throughout development, weekly testing was conducted with TPM staff using the “think-aloud” method. Tasks were designed for testers to complete, and testers were asked to explain their thought process out loud as they worked. We worked with one person at a time,
attempting to keep bias to a minimum and only evaluate the app on blind interaction with its features. This helped us tailor the app to best fit the needs of TPM staff and to be as intuitive to use as possible. Finally, we created training modules and manuals to introduce new users to the app and to help IT with app maintenance. These guides were included in the help menu in the app.
Results
When evaluating organizations outside TPM, we found a huge lack of consistency across the field in regard to software usage, record keeping, and formatting. Some use scanned paper documents, some use Collections Management Systems not built with conservators in mind, while others use their own proprietary file system stored on a hard drive. We also concluded that it was highly important to present CTRs as “records of events”, with the option of recording multiple steps per treatment and multiple treatments per object, and that a common vocabulary must be defined to maintain consistency and understanding between users. In talking with TPM staff, we determined the specifics of the data the conservators work with, such as the terminology of object type, descriptive object information, workstream, and record-specific data, as well as some “nice to have” features for the app. Support for adding images to records and record printing was emphasized in these conversations.
Though we intended to work on various app features one at a time through design sprints, we found that many features relied heavily upon others or took longer than expected to complete. This led to a high degree of concurrent development, though we maintained goals to complete various features each week.
The final app, ConservationHub (Figure 1), features a folder-based database, organized according to formalized, logical categories. These allow the app to effectively parse information and ensure a high degree of organization and normalization. Empowered by this database, the app also includes a robust searching and filtering algorithm, which utilizes Power Automate to retrieve entries from the database and then filters the results based upon user inputs in as many as 32 unique fields. Once results are shown, the app can extract data from folders and files stored in the database, displaying them in a formatted window featuring color-coded categories and fields. The categories divide data into Object information (green), CTR information (blue), ACR (Assessment Condition Report) information (red), and Display Entry (exhibit-specific data) information (yellow). A crucial feature of ConservationHub is that it can be used to create new records and edit existing ones. The app accomplishes this by using Power Automate to accept user inputs and save them to a pre-formatted file, as well as assign metadata where necessary. The editing functionality in particular promises to be incredibly useful for TPM’s conservators, allowing them to record data over the course of their work with minimal disruption. Overall, the app serves to meet the entirety of TPM’s conservators’ record-keeping needs.
Throughout the development process, testing proved to be invaluable, as we gathered feedback from users to help tweak smaller usability issues such as button or text box placement, or adding new features to eliminate confusion with entry boxes. As a natural result of the testers becoming more familiar with the app, combined with increasingly more intuitive navigation options, we witnessed an increased ease of use week to week, with less and less feedback on the core functionality of the app, indicating a high level of satisfaction with our progress.
Figure 1: Search and Filter page
(above), Record Display page (right), and
Record Creation page (below). These pages
constitute the three main functions requested
by TPM conservators.
Conclusions
This project investigated best practices in database management, identified the needs of TPM’s conservators, and produced a bespoke database app, ConservationHub, to unite best practices and address TPM’s needs. Through our work, we found that the heritage preservation
sector, comprised largely of conservators, was underrepresented in terms of dedicated software solutions for their needs. Additionally, we identified that TPM’s conservators, and those at other institutions, have highly specialized and unique needs, widening the gap between what is available for their work and what would most optimize their workflow. As such, bespoke solutions such as ConservationHub are incredibly useful in this field. The creation of our app enabled TPM conservators to easily access their records, create new ones, and view information
about their contents. ConservationHub promises to be a valuable asset for the continued maintenance and preservation of postal history, and will be employed as a powerful tool throughout conservators’ workflows.
Future work on this app can focus on developments to a number of functions. Some potential improvements include broader error messages for mismatching user input, faster searching and load times, and addition of new features like integrated photo markup or comparison of multiple records. TPM can also take this app in another direction, potentially improving its robustness, speed, and data structure by migrating its systems to an SQL-supported database and developing its app structure in a Python or C/C++ based environment. These would allow the app to be published to an app store, improve speed and integration, and ensure that the system remains relevant for a longer period before becoming obsolete. As it stands, however, ConservationHub exceeds the expectations of TPM conservators, and completely fulfills their needs.