IBM TechZone UX Category & Sub-Category Definitions

Category Definitions:

Category 1: Front End TZ Portal

The TechZone website/platform is often referred to as a TechZone portal, which includes the top navigation bar, home page, and footer. The top navigation bar features My TechZone, Support Page, Search, Notifications, Applications, and User Profile, providing easy access to essential functions and resources that are fixed at the top. For IBMers, Home page consists of TechZone Certified Base Images, Model Home, Deployer, Hybrid Cloud Architecture Center, and IBM Learning. Home Page may differ for other personas (Business Partners or Clients). This category refers to problem-type issues related to the front end of the IBM TechZone portal.

1.1 Home Page: The main entry point on TechZone, showcasing featured content and quick links to these offerings and resources.

1.1 TechZone Hub:  The TechZone onboarding starting  point and all-in-one resource center.

1.2 My TechZone: A personalized tab on TechZone where users can view Dashboard, Created Collections, Bookmarked Search, Favorites, Reservations, Workshops, Approvals, and Events.

1.3. Access: Defines user permissions and entry points for TechZone resources, including login requirements, IBM ID verification, IBM Cloud invitation, and role-based (IBMers, Business Partners, or Clients) access levels.

1.4 Footer: The bottom section of each page on TechZone, providing quick links to About, Explore, Support, Outage, and Terms of use; providing quick navigation to necessary resources.

1.5 Search: A tool allowing users to find specific resources, collections, or environments on TechZone by keywords, filters, or advanced search criteria.

1.5.1 Search Filters: Allow users to refine search results and find content tailored to their specific needs. Filters can be applied based on:

• Brands
• Offerings
• Language
• Visibility
• Industry
• Content Type

Users can also utilize advanced filters for more in-depth searches.

1.5.2 Content Preferences: Allow users to preset filters based on the type of content they need access to on IBM TechZone. Users can set preferences for Brand(s), Offering(s), and Language(s).

1.6 Terminology: Refers to common terms and definitions used on TechZone, ensuring users understand platform-specific language and features.

1.7 User Interface (UI): The visual design and layout of TechZone, including buttons, menus, and graphics that enhance usability and improve user experience.

1.8 Navigation: Refers to how users move between pages and access desired content or features on TechZone. It includes the structure of the Top Navigation bar, footer, links, and journeys within collections.

1.9 Page Load: Focuses on the speed and efficiency of loading TechZone pages, aiming to minimize delays and improve user experience.

1.10 Support page: A dedicated resource page on TechZone containing FAQs, how-to guides, and support links to provide users with solution to common concerns or questions. TechZone provides users with a variety of support options to ensure a smooth experience, from self-service resources to dedicated help. Users can access guidance through the Support Page, submit support tickets, or get quick answers via AskTZ.

Category 2: Content

Content refers to every environment, collection, or resource available on TechZone for users to leverage.

2.1 Collections: A collection is a curated group of resources and live environments gathered on a single page. It includes all demo videos, demo scripts, links, and live environments, organized to illustrate how they come together in a cohesive journey. Collections provide users with easy access to related content, enhancing their learning and exploration experience.

Collection Branding Standards: Since TechZone operates as a crowdsourced community model, content standards are established to ensure that content stays current and relevant. These standards are tied to badges displayed on collections within TechZone, with an expectation for content owners to meet higher standards to achieve the next-level badge. The Platinum badge, representing the highest level, is driven by brand squad leaders, while Gold, Silver, and Bronze (being the lowest level) badges signify community-driven collections.

2.2 Resources: A discrete piece of content intended to accompany a live environment. For example: a demo video that demonstrates how to do the demo or a demo script that serves as a step-by-step written guide for walking through the demo. Resources provides additional context, instructions, and support, enabling users to engage more effectively with the environment.

Types of Resources:

• Blog
• Code
• Collection
• Document
• Education
• Environment
• Guided Simulation
• Hands-on Lab
• Link
• Technical Sales Tool
• Video
• Workshops

2.3 Content Contribution: Content can only be contributed by IBMers or Business Partners, but it can be utilized by IBMers, Business Partners, or Clients. IBMers can contribute content to TechZone by completing a collection creation form, while Business Partners must contact Brand Squad leaders to contribute. The contributor is referred to as the Author or Owner of the content. Clients cannot contribute content; they can only be shared with it.

2.4 Metrics: Refers to the analytics that a content contributor can use to view performance data. Content Contributor can access the Contributor Dashboard (on IBM Cloud Pak for Data) through IBM TechZone which offers reports and analyses on resources, collections, and environments. On this dashboard, by entering the Collection ID or name, users can view Reservations (including environment names), Page Views (including Journey names), and Click Events (including Journey names and Resource names) specific to that collection. Additionally, users can apply filters (Collection ID, Collection Name, Geo, Persona, Purpose, and Year) to meet their specific needs.

2.5 Environments: Also referred to as the ‘Show Me’ Environment, reserving this environment allows you to demonstrate an IBM product or solution to a client. An environment on IBM Technology Zone is defined as a running infrastructure that may include pre-installed applications or services that users can interact with.

2.6 Access and controls: Defines user permissions and entry points for TechZone resources, including login requirements, IBM ID verification, IBM Cloud invitation, and role-based (IBMers, Business Partners, or Clients) access levels.

2.7 Approvals: There are some environments that require approval before being provisioned.

Category 3: Infrastructure

3.1 Reservation, Event, Workshop

Reservation is referred to the process by which users (IBMers or Business Partners) can reserve an environment for either client-facing or non-client-facing (testing or education) purposes. Reservations are subject multiple factors, such as capacity, geo, environment type, infrastructure, purpose, and sales opportunities. The purpose of the reservation determines the duration for which it can be made.

Workshop & Events: Group reservations, group engagements or workshops can be scheduled on IBM Technology Zone using the “schedule a workshop” feature which allows you the ability to request multiple environments using the Workshop Manager tool. On a Workshop Manager request, you may select the desired environment, specify the number of environments and attendees, and choose the start and end dates. You can also save draft requests for later. 

At this time, workshops support VMWare, IBM Cloud, SaaS, and Hosted environment requests. 

Types of infrastructure:

3.1.1 IBM Cloud: As with VMware on IBM Cloud, these offerings are fully secured and hardened with CIS benchmarks combined with vulnerability scanning and threat detection. Here users will also find PowerVS and System Z VM’s running on IBM Cloud. These options can be reserved for up to 29 days for a customer facing opportunity and 8 days for self-education or testing. 

3.1.2 OCP-V: IBM Cloud/ ITZ hosted OpenShift Virtualization clusters providing virtual environments to our users.

3.1.3 Systems

3.1.4 VMware: TechZone Virtualized Image and OpenShift Clusters. 

Offerings include RedHat 9, Ubuntu 22, and Windows 11 and 2022. They are fully secured and hardened with CIS benchmarks combined with vulnerability scanning and threat detection. The OpenShift clusters come in two primary configurations UPI and IPI. All of these options can be reserved for up to 49 days for a customer facing opportunity and 8 days for self-education or testing. 

3.1.5 AWS: AWS Infrastructure refers to all the resources provided by AWS to stand up VMs, OCP clusters and services, deployed within an AWS account. Provided are 3rd party cloud offerings such as AWS with GPU or ROKS on IBM Cloud. Note these Premium environments are restricted to customer facing opportunities with shorter duration policies.

3.1.6 Azure: Azure Infrastructure refers to all the resources provided by AWS to stand up VMs, OCP clusters and services, deployed under an Azure subscription. Provided are 3rd party cloud offerings such as Azure with GPU or ROKs on IBM Cloud. Note these Premium environments are restricted to customer facing opportunities with shorter duration policies. 

3.1.7 Fyre: A selection of inexpensive and secure environments which reside solely on the IBM private network. Customers nor partners can access these. Fyre allows users to quickly deploy virtual machines, called Embers, and clusters, known as Stacks, in just seconds for efficient testing and development.

3.1.8 watsonx:

• Developer Base Image - docker-based image best suited for education and test activities. 
• Stand Alone Base Image - OpenShift-based image best suited for education and demo activities. 
• SaaS Offerings - Available for Customer Demo and Proof-of-Technology purposes only.

• First-of-a-kind (FOAK) 
• Complex Projects: Multiple products, integrations or Instances, where users need to a build environment that supports 2 or more virtual machines, and/or 2 or more clusters, and/or complex networking. pilots, elevated permissions, segregated environments, complex integrations. 
• Trails Services: An IBM Cloud account with trial services. Requests for IBM Cloud trial services require a valid opportunity code with an opportunity size of more than USD $25,000.
• GPU: Refers access to GPUs, where users need assistance in attaching or sourcing GPUs for a customer engagement.
• Show Case: Persisted environments with no end date.
• Watsonx TIP (Technology Integration Partners): For users who require an IBM Cloud account because they are working with a Watsonx Technology Integration Partner.
• Custom Workshops: Workshops that cannot be done through event manager or workshop-enabled reservations. For users requesting capacity for a customer or internal facing workshop, where the user has multiple attendees, and cannot use event manager or workshop-enabled reservations available on TechZone.