New · interactive

Equipment discovery — live

Step into a realistic situation where a critical piece of equipment has just failed — and use a live platform to find your way out.

This short interactive study puts you inside a real working moment, under time pressure, with access to an internal platform called Central. There are no right or wrong answers — we are interested in how you naturally approach the situation.

Takes ~5 minutes · No right or wrong answers · Scenario adapts to your field

Does this sound familiar?

A piece of equipment fails right before it matters most
You know there might be an alternative somewhere, but not where to look
Useful knowledge exists in the organization, locked in people's heads or scattered files
You lose time asking around for who has dealt with this before
The clock is running and you have to decide fast

How it works

1

Tell us about your work

A few quick questions so the scenario reflects your real field and tools.

2

Face a realistic situation

A piece of your equipment has just failed, and time is short. You open Central.

3

Explore however feels natural

Search, refine, or change direction. There is no script — just how you would really work.

This study is part of a broader ETH MAS thesis research project on early-stage product learning through real-world experiments.

This is not a product demo or sales funnel. The goal is to understand how people approach uncertainty in technical work.

No signup required · responses are anonymous

Tell us about yourself

Your answers shape a realistic scenario. The more specific you are, the more the situation will feel like your real working environment.

1 · What industry do you work in?

2 · Within that, what is your specific area or sector?

Select your industry above to see examples.

3 · What is your role?

Select your industry above to see examples.

4 · Name one or a few things you work with

Select your industry above to see examples.

5 · What does a typical task or deliverable look like for you?

Select your industry above to see examples.

6 · How large is your organization?

Please fill in all fields before continuing.

Your scenario

This is your situation for today

Read the situation below. It is based on what you told us about your work.

07:52 — Tuesday morning

Generating your scenario…

Your organization recently deployed an internal platform called Central — it connects your facility's equipment inventory, maintenance logs, case history, and expertise network in one place.

A colleague just sent you the link. You open it. You have never used it before.

Central

internal capability platform

07:52 client at 09:00 · ~65 min

What are you looking for?

Try describing your problem, an equipment need, or who could help.

The simulation is over.

Here is what Central had available in your organization's system.

Equipment

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Expertise

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Case history

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Three quick questions

Step back out of the scenario. Answer as yourself.

Did you find what you needed?

Yes, fully Partially No

Would you have found it without Central?

Yes, but it would have taken longer Possibly, through colleagues Probably not

What would make you trust a platform like this at work? (optional)

Please answer the first two questions before submitting.

Thank you for taking part.

Your responses have been recorded and will contribute to research on how technical teams discover and access capabilities inside their organizations.

Back to research hub

Responses are anonymous · Part of an ETH MAS thesis