View source for Otlet.cloud

{{Infobox 
| name = otlet.cloud
| image = Otlet logo.svg
| caption = Paul Otlet, logo for Otlet.cloud
| 1 url = https://otlet.cloud
| 2 type = UX research tools suite
| 3 owner = [[Michel Vuijlsteke]]
| 4 launched = 1 October 2025
| 5 current_status = Online
}}

'''otlet.cloud''' is a self-hosted suite of [[User experience|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.<ref name="readme">''Otlet – UX Research Tools Suite (README)''. Project documentation, 2025.</ref><ref name="int-2oct">“Interview with Michel Vuijlsteke: Why Otlet.cloud?” Recorded conversation, 2 October 2025.</ref> 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.<ref name="home">“Otlet.cloud — Home page,” accessed 1 October 2025, https://otlet.cloud/
</ref>

[[File:Paul Otlet.jpg|alt=Paul Otlet|thumb|Paul Otlet, after https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Paul_Otlet_%C3%A0_son_bureau.jpg]]

== History ==
Otlet.cloud was prototyped over several evenings in late September 2025 and went online on 1 October 2025.<ref name="int-2oct" /> Originally not intended for wider use, it was rapidly hardened for a real-world online card sort when a project opportunity arose.<ref name="int-5oct">“Email interview with M. Vuijlsteke about the first production card sort,” 5 October 2025.</ref> Ongoing development adds additional research tools.<ref name="changelog">“Otlet.cloud changelog notes,” internal release notes, October–November 2025.</ref>

== Overview ==
Studies are organized into projects with optional collaboration. The interface supports drag-and-drop, full keyboard navigation, and mobile/touch interaction.<ref name="readme" />

== Study types ==
; Card sorting
Open, closed, and hybrid sorts; optional “I don’t know” bucket; rich-text cards (descriptions/images); bulk import from CSV/JSON/Markdown.<ref name="readme" />

; Tree testing
Hierarchical navigation structures with task-based findability tests; multiple correct destinations per task; path tracking and click analytics; structure import from Markdown/CSV/HTML/JSON.<ref name="readme" />

== Analysis and visualization ==

'''Card sorting''': similarity matrices (Jaccard), hierarchical clustering (Ward/average linkage) with interactive dendrogram and cut-line, category-agreement reporting, and MDS coordinates.<ref name="readme" />

'''Tree testing''': success / eventual success / failure breakdowns, path and time analysis, node-popularity metrics.
Exports include raw data (CSV/JSON), similarity matrices, analysis results, and PNG/SVG visualization exports.<ref name="readme" />

== Technology ==

'''Backend''': [[Django]] (4.2) with Django REST Framework; SQLite/PostgreSQL; analysis with NumPy, SciPy, and scikit-learn; visualization via Matplotlib (and Seaborn as needed).<ref name="readme" />

'''Frontend''': [[Vue.js|Vue 3]] with Vue Router, Pinia, Bootstrap 5, Vue I18n, D3.js, built with Vite.<ref name="readme" />

'''Deployment''': Docker Compose and conventional Gunicorn/Nginx setups; environment-variable configuration for production.<ref name="readme" />

== Accessibility ==
Implements practices aligned with [[WCAG|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.<ref name="readme" />

== 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.<ref name="home" /><ref name="int-5oct" />

== 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]].<ref name="int-2oct" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}