Author: Anne Fouilloux, FAIR2Adapt coordinator, CTO at Lifewatch
Co-Author: Christine Matauschek, FAIR2Adapt Task Lead, Researcher at Fresh Thoughts Consulting
When we started planning FAIR2Adapt, we knew user support couldn’t be an afterthought. This lesson came directly from our experience in a previous project, where we reached Month 20 and suddenly realised we needed to extend support to external users—but had nothing formalised in place. That experience shaped our approach for FAIR2Adapt: establish the Helpdesk from the very beginning.
But “early” isn’t just about timing—it’s about mindset.
Starting Early Means Thinking Inclusively
Climate change adaptation is inherently multi-stakeholder. Our case studies involve data scientists, yes, but also urban planners, environmental agencies, policy advisors, and business analysts assessing climate risk. These users have fundamentally different needs, vocabularies, and entry points into our services. If you design user support with only technical users in mind, you end up with documentation full of API (Application Programming Interface) calls and code snippets—valuable for some, but alienating for others. APIs exist to let software automatically access or exchange data with our services, which is why they matter mainly for technical users. By establishing the Helpdesk in Month 1, we gave ourselves the space to ask: Who are all our users, and how do they each need to be supported? This early reflection shapes everything: how we write documentation, what formats we offer, how we structure our FAQs, and how we train partners to respond to queries. A policy maker exploring how FAIR data can inform adaptation planning needs a different conversation than a developer integrating our APIs. Both are equally valid users of the Helpdesk.
Multiple Channels, Multiple Entry Points
The FAIR2Adapt Helpdesk operates through complementary channels:
Email support for users who prefer direct communication or have questions that don’t fit neatly into a technical issue tracker. This is often the more natural entry point for stakeholders from policy, planning, or business backgrounds.
GitHub Issues for technical queries, bug reports, and feature requests—but also as a transparent, searchable archive where answers to common questions become accessible to everyone.
Documentation in multiple formats: Not everyone learns by reading code. We’re building resources that include conceptual overviews, workflow diagrams, and practical guides written in accessible language alongside the technical tutorials and Jupyter notebooks.
Why GitHub for the Technical Layer?
For the technical dimension of our support, GitHub remains central. Using tools like Jupyter Book, we can create interactive, rendered pages that walk users through real code examples. Technical staff who need to provide support can directly contribute and iterate without dependencies on other work packages. And for expert users who want to engage more actively—opening issues, suggesting improvements, contributing examples—GitHub provides a collaborative space where the Helpdesk grows with its community.
But GitHub is one layer of the Helpdesk, not the whole story.
Placing the Helpdesk in WP5: A Strategic Choice
We deliberately placed the Helpdesk in WP5 (Community Support and Engagement) rather than in a purely technical work package. In previous projects where helpdesk functions sat within technical WPs, they tended to serve technical users well but became disconnected from broader community engagement. By situating the Helpdesk alongside FAIR capacity building, user requirements gathering, and co-design activities, we ensure it’s integrated into how we engage with all our stakeholders. The Helpdesk isn’t just about answering technical questions—it’s about accompanying diverse communities on their journey to exploit FAIR2Adapt services in ways that make sense for their work. A city resilience officer exploring how FAIRified climate data could inform urban planning should feel just as welcome reaching out as a data engineer implementing RO-Crate profiles.
The Right Mindset from the Start
Perhaps the most important benefit of establishing the Helpdesk early is cultural. When user support is baked in from Month 1, the entire consortium develops a different relationship with the communities we serve. We document as we build. We ask “who needs this, and how?” before finalising designs. We recognise that a service isn’t truly useful until users can actually use it. This mindset extends beyond the Helpdesk itself—it influences how we design our APIs, structure our training materials, and communicate about FAIR2Adapt more broadly.
Get Involved
The Helpdesk is live and ready to support you—whoever you are and however you work. Visit us at https://fair2adapt.github.io/fair2adapt-helpdesk/ to explore our resources, or simply reach out with your questions.
Whether you’re a researcher working on Arctic environmental monitoring, a developer building climate services, or a policy advisor exploring how FAIR data can strengthen adaptation planning—we’re here to help, and to learn from your experience along the way.
