CloudLab (https://cloudlab.us/) is a testbed facility that allows researchers to build clouds of their own. The platform has thousands of users and it represents a substantial investment from the National Science Foundation. In this research project, our lab provides user research expertise to help CloudLab developers better understand their users and their needs. This work will help maximize funders' investment and it will improve CloudLab users' experience.

Serving as consultants to the CloudLab development team, we are conducting interviews and contextual inquiries as well as leveraging log data to develop actionable insights. Our goals are not only to address users' pain points but also to ensure CloudLab supports reproducible research, making it a more valuable scholarly tool.

We have multiple threads ongoing in this research. To understand users' challenges, we are investigating how new users learn the CloudLab interface and what occasions are most frustrating for practiced users. To facilitate reproducibility, we are studying how CloudLab supports the artifact evaluation process. 

To learn more about CloudLab, visit the website, its documentation, or read a paper about its design and use.