Survey for Archive Users

During the autumn 2026, the ArchXAI project will focus on designing a user-centred AI assistant. The aim is to develop a solution that supports archive users in information retrieval and makes archive services even easier and more efficient to use. The development work is still in its early stages, which is why it is particularly important at this point to hear about users’ experiences, needs and expectations.

The success of AI solutions depends on designing them together with their future users. For this reason, we will launch a user research study during the autumn to explore the views of different user groups regarding the kind of support they expect from archive services and from a potential AI assistant.

Interviews and Survey Support the Design Process

We aim to engage a diverse range of current and future archive users. We will interview researchers, family history enthusiasts and other active users of archive services. In addition, we seek to reach individuals who are not yet familiar with archives, so that we can better understand the needs of new user groups and any potential barriers to use.

Alongside the interviews, we will conduct an online survey, enabling as many people as possible to contribute to the development work from their own perspectives. Responses to the survey will complement the information gathered through interviews and help us build a broader understanding of users’ expectations.

Information will be collected until December 2026 to ensure that the design process is informed by a sufficient range of perspectives from different user groups. Based on the results, we will define more precisely which features and functionalities should be included in the AI assistant.

Get Involved

Our goal is to create functionalities that genuinely respond to users’ needs and support information retrieval for different types of users as effectively as possible. For this reason, every interview, survey response and testing comment is a valuable part of the development process.

Are you interested in contributing to the development of an AI assistant for archives? We are looking for interview participants to share their experiences and perspectives

Access the online survey	Take Part in an Interview
https://link.webropol.com/s/ARCHXAI	We are inviting archive users to participate in online interviews during October and November 2026. Interviews will be conducted in English, Estonian, Latvian, or Finnish. If you would like to share your experiences and views, please contact: English and Finnish: anna.ollanketo@xamk.fi Latvian: mairita.lukianska@arhivi.gov.lv Estonian: sven.lepa@ra.ee