8 easy steps to setting up a Toqan space

It’s fun to play around with setting up a Toqan space but if you’re unsure what to do, it can be daunting. Try this eight-step process to get started.

If you’ve already set up a space and need some tips on how to improve it, try this article on top tips and tricks to improve your space.

Also check out the 4 types of spaces you can create.

1. DEFINE THE SCOPE

This part is often the most difficult – but it’s critical to spend time thinking about what problem you want your Toqan space to solve. The more time you spend here, the easier it becomes to complete the later steps.

There are three ways to find the clarity you need:

• Identify the problem: what will this space be helping you with exactly?
• Identify the outcome: what solution/output do you want Toqan to give you?
• Identify the name: what name would best reflect what this space is about?

Toqan spaces are particularly helpful when you have a very particular problem that you need solving with your internal company knowledge. It’s also helpful if you have a problem that you need solving frequently (editing your own writing, for example).

If it’s an ad hoc problem that you can solve using the normal Toqan capabilities, don’t waste your time setting up a space.

2. CURATE KNOWLEDGE

Toqan allows you to upload 25 files to a space. These can be PDFs, text files or Word documents. But just because you can upload 25 files, doesn’t mean you should. In fact, it’s really important that you curate your files carefully to ensure you don’t land up in a situation of “garbage in, garbage out”.

Make sure the files you include support the output you want. If your space is about Frequently Asked HR questions, for example, don’t include a policy document that is more IT focused. And if your space is niche – an HR space dedicated only to taking time off, then don’t include an HR document on bursary applications.

Also watch out for documents that may contradict each other. Always look for the latest version of whatever your document is and that you’re not loading an older document that is outdated and could be in conflict with your newer documents.

Another helpful hint here: consider the format and quality of the file.

Toqan is better at reading bullet points than it is at reading tables. So if your document has many tables, consider converting them to bullet points before you upload it to your space.

If your files are messy, the Toqan space output will be messy. Don’t upload documents that have tracked changes or comments on the side. Don’t upload poorly scanned files that Toqan might struggle to read.

3. WRITE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS

Toqan will generate basic instructions for you based on your description. But it’s always best to go in and refine the instructions. Here are some general tips.

Define Toqan’s role: clearly state what Toqan’s task is in this space. Start with “You are a…” If there’s a specific approach or methodology you want Toqan to follow, detail it here.

Provide interaction guidelines: tell Toqan how to interact with the users of your space. Tell it when to ask follow-up questions or how to respond to certain interactions.

Be succinct: aim for instructions that are straightforward. If you have many layers to your instructions, list them separately. Read them out aloud – if you can make it clearer and simpler, then do! Long and detailed rules are often not as effective as simple, sharp, and straightforward ones.

It’s better to write instructions in bullet point format. This helps you to clear your thinking and it makes it easier for Toqan to read your instructions.

Use headers: break down instructions into sections with headers. Examples could be “User interaction”, “Objectives”, “Response guidelines” or “Formatting”. All of these help Toqan to deliver a higher quality output because it can understand tasks more effectively.

4. EVALUATE

You’ve done the work – now have a look at the fruits of your labour to see if you’re on the right track.

In this step, you’ll interact with your space to get a better idea of what it can do and what it can’t do.

Test with realistic scenarios: ask Toqan questions or give it tasks that it should be able to handle. Here you can see if you did good work in step 1 because the output should align to the scope you defined. Reflect on whether the output solves the problem you identified.

Make notes of issues: the goal at this stage is to uncover major issues, not to achieve perfection. Nobody gets a perfect space from the first time so don’t worry if yours doesn’t work well the first time around.

Take note of which questions and instances Toqan fails to give proper output. Record which documents are either not adequate or are giving incorrect information or when Toqan doesn’t retrieve the necessary information from files.

Look for big problems first. You’ll do fine-tuning later but this stage is for fixing the major problems like inaccuracies or hallucinations. It will save you a great deal of time to fix this here instead of in later steps.

Be sure to document everything in proper notes so that you can keep referring back to it, especially as you make more and more changes. If you don’t keep track of everything, you could become frustrated when changes don’t work out because you’re going around in circles.

5. CREATE A TEST SET

This is the phase where you test how good your space is after you’ve resolved the big problems. Try these steps.

Develop test questions: create a list of 20 to 30 questions that your space should be able to answer effectively. These questions are ones that you or others would typically ask this space to answer.

Define expected answers: along with each question, determine the expected answer. Clearly define what constitutes a good response and what would be inadequate.

Track performance: depending on how important your space is, you may want to track performance of this test set over time. Record the results of your space in a Google Sheet or Excel. Mark which responses are correct and which are not. This tracking allows you to observe improvements or regressions in performance.

Analyse results: by continually testing and updating your test set, you can track how many questions are answered correctly. For example, the progression from 13 correct answers to 15, and eventually 19, indicates clear improvements.

Identify focus areas: the test set highlights questions that consistently result in incorrect responses, helping you pinpoint where further focus and refinement are needed.

6. TEST AND ITERATE

This stage is all about refining and improving your Toqan space so it’s ready for your first set of users. Check your test questions again and try other questions beyond those too.

Fix issues as they crop up and don’t be afraid to experiment. Make changes to the rules, instructions, and attached files as needed. Experiment to discover the combinations that yield the best results.

Don’t hesitate to make iterative changes, where you try one thing and test, then try another and test. Trying different approaches can lead to breakthroughs in performance improvement.

This phase is about continuous improvement, so keep refining until you’re satisfied with the version you’re preparing to share with early users.

7. SHARE WITH YOUR FIRST GROUP

You’ve spent a lot of time with your space – now it’s time to open it up to others.

This stage is vital for gaining insights into real-world usage that can’t be replicated through testing by yourself. Try these steps.

Select a group of testers: identify users who can provide valuable feedback. They should represent your audience or have the expertise to evaluate your space properly.

Gather feedback: try to track the feedback in a way where you can see the similarities and differences – perhaps again in a Google Sheet or Excel doc. You’ll be able to identify how the space performs in diverse scenarios.

Iterate based on feedback: Use the input to continue your cycle of testing, iterating and improving the space.

8. LAUNCH!

You’re ready! It’s time to launch your space to a wider group. The process of sharing a space is quite easy – you simply have to share a link with anyone you want to give access to.

However, there are a few extra steps we recommend to get people to use your space.

Make it accessible: use your company communication platforms to share information about your space with the link attached. Consider opening a dedicated Slack channel to provide updates and facilitate communication or feedback.

Market it: you’ll need to show people why your space is good and worth using. Consider showing them examples of how it’s saved you time, energy, effort. Or how it’s made you more productive or innovative.

Direct people to it: if people ask you a question and the answer is in your space, give them the link to the space with instructions on how to use it to find the answer.

Take it up a notch: depending on how valuable your space is and how determined you are to get people to adopt it, you may want to have an onboarding session to teach the functionalities and benefits. This would effectively be a hands-on introduction to the space. Consider recording onboarding sessions for future reference. This allows new users to learn how to use and benefit from the space independently.

Engage with users: stay connected with users to address issues promptly and to gather ideas. Users often have innovative suggestions that can enhance the space further.

Download this easy graphic below for ease of reference.