Designing a professional e-portfolio to promote 3D printing-based entrepreneurial thinking as a case study: A technical writing project

Department of Computer Science & Hardware Engineering, Univ. of Aizu, Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to design a professional e-portfolio in the form of an interactive website that could be potentially accessed by budding entrepreneurs looking to get information to start a 3D-printing based business locally in the Aizu/Fukushima area. 3D printing here is used as a case study to understand how such technical content could be positioned most optimally in a professional context and with maximum impact. This paper outlines a process that leads towards the final design of the website and will focus on the technical writing, design, and usability principles. Adoption of such principles is expected to make the website more interactive and usable in the target situation. This website is geared towards helping anyone who wants to start a new 3D printing business. In this research, we will limit our consideration to help people living in Aizu to revitalise the Aizu area for the 3D printing business. The content in the e-portfolio includes types of 3D printers, 3D printing technologies, sharing of 3D models, with the web design based on various types of concept mapping schemas, faceted search, SWOT analysis, etc. From this information, users can search for and browse what they want towards customising their preferences. Users can also contact the administrator for business consultations and website requests for start-ups. This is a work-in-progress paper, as the design of the e-portfolio has been left at a preliminary level, with more focus on content placement and organisation, but without any usability testing.