Otlet.cloud: Difference between revisions
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| image = Paul Otlet.jpg | | image = Paul Otlet.jpg | ||
| caption = Paul Otlet, after [https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Paul_Otlet_%C3%A0_son_bureau.jpg Paul Otlet à son bureau] | | caption = Paul Otlet, after [https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Paul_Otlet_%C3%A0_son_bureau.jpg Paul Otlet à son bureau] | ||
| 1 url = [[File:Otlet logo.svg| | | 1 url = [[File:Otlet logo.svg|right|frameless|32x32px|Otlet logo]] https://otlet.cloud | ||
| 2 type = UX research tools suite | | 2 type = UX research tools suite | ||
| 3 owner = [[Michel Vuijlsteke]] | | 3 owner = [[Michel Vuijlsteke]] | ||
Revision as of 21:32, 11 October 2025
| otlet.cloud | |
|---|---|
 Paul Otlet, after Paul Otlet à son bureau | |
| url |  |
| type | UX research tools suite |
| owner | Michel Vuijlsteke |
| launched | 1 October 2025 |
| current status | Online |
otlet.cloud is a self-hosted suite of UX research tools created by Michel Vuijlsteke for personal use, with access extended to invited collaborators (including contributors to projects at Ghent University). The platform supports multiple research methods—primarily Card sorting and Tree testing—with built-in analysis and export features.[1][2] The project is named in homage to Belgian information pioneer Paul Otlet; his portrait is used as the site’s logo and on the home page.[3]
History
Otlet.cloud was prototyped over several evenings in late September 2025 and went online on 1 October 2025.[2] Originally not intended for wider use, it was rapidly hardened for a real-world online card sort when a project opportunity arose.[4] Ongoing development adds additional research tools.[5]
Overview
Studies are organized into projects with optional collaboration. The interface supports drag-and-drop, full keyboard navigation, and mobile/touch interaction.[1]
Study types
Otlet.cloud supports two primary research approaches. Card sorting can be configured as open, closed, or hybrid, with an optional “I don’t know” bucket for difficult items. Cards support rich text and images, and studies can be populated in bulk via CSV, JSON, or Markdown imports.[1] Tree testing enables the creation of hierarchical navigation structures and task-based findability tests, allows multiple correct destinations per task, records participants’ paths and clicks, and accepts structure imports from Markdown, CSV, HTML, or JSON.[1]
Analysis and visualization
For card sorting, the platform provides similarity matrices based on the Jaccard coefficient, hierarchical clustering with Ward or average linkage, an interactive dendrogram with a movable cut-line, category-agreement reports for closed sorts, and coordinates for multi-dimensional scaling.[1] For tree testing, results include success, eventual success, and failure rates, along with path and time analyses and node-popularity metrics. Exports cover raw datasets (CSV/JSON), similarity matrices, analysis summaries, and image files (PNG/SVG) of visualizations.[1]
Technology
The backend is built with Django 4.2 and Django REST Framework, using SQLite or PostgreSQL as the datastore; analytical routines rely on NumPy, SciPy, and scikit-learn, with visualizations produced via Matplotlib (and Seaborn where appropriate).[1] The frontend uses Vue 3 with Vue Router, Pinia, Bootstrap 5, Vue I18n, and D3.js, bundled with Vite.[1] Deployment is supported through Docker Compose and conventional Gunicorn/Nginx setups, with environment variables used for production configuration.[1]
Accessibility
Implements practices aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA (focus management, screen-reader semantics, keyboard shortcuts, reduced-motion preference, high-contrast modes). The UI is responsive across desktop, tablet, and mobile.[1]
Access and privacy
The site is publicly reachable at https://otlet.cloud . Study participation is open to the public and is completely anonymous; admin rights are by invitation and on a per-project basis. No personal data is gathered or stored.[3][4]
Relationship to other projects
Otlet.cloud is one of several self-hosted or operator-run web projects associated with Michel Vuijlsteke and the yusupov.cloud VPS ecosystem, alongside domains such as moosedept.org, blaffeture.net, tsuk.org, genea.cloud, and vuijlsteke.net.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Otlet – UX Research Tools Suite (README). Project documentation, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 “Interview with Michel Vuijlsteke: Why Otlet.cloud?” Recorded conversation, 2 October 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “Otlet.cloud — Home page,” accessed 1 October 2025, https://otlet.cloud/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “Email interview with M. Vuijlsteke about the first production card sort,” 5 October 2025.
- ↑ “Otlet.cloud changelog notes,” internal release notes, October–November 2025.