How to use ORB
- What is ORB?
- How to access the CCI ORB
- How to book a space using ORB
- How to cancel a booking in ORB
- How to get the app
What is ORB?
ORB stands for Online Resource Booking, and it is UAL's way of booking access to Technical Resources across all its colleges and institutes.
All colleges and institutes use the booking system, but each college uses it slightly differently, with some using Moodle or other systems for managing certain assets.
How CCI uses ORB
At CCI, we primarily use ORB to manage the booking of technical spaces, such as high-performance computers and laser cutters.
In future, we will also use it to manage the booking of high-value items like projectors, cameras and Wacom tablets.
What other systems does CCI use?
Laptop Lockers
With this system, you can walk up to a locker and loan a laptop for up to 10 hours at a time using your ID card. Find out more about loaning a laptop.
Other - Checkout
We also operate a system called Checkout, where you can loan lower-value items ad hoc, on-demand rather than booking them; you can see a list on this page.. To borrow this kit, please ask a technician for help.
How to access the CCI ORB
How to Login
You can log in to ORB using your UAL username and password:
- Go to orb.arts.ac.uk.
- Enter your UAL username and password.
- Press Login.
How to make sure you are in the right store
It is essential you are in the CCI store; otherwise, you won't be able to access any of our resources; you can switch back and forth if you are a student studying across multiple UAL colleges and institutes.
You will always see your current store on the sidebar (students) or on the top bar (staff) in the Dashboard it will also be listed in the middle of the page:
How to change stores
You can change stores by clicking on either of these locations. On the next screen, select the store and press "Save & Close."
Staff
Staff accounts are not created automatically, please contact the CCI technical team for access.
How to book a space using ORB
You can book a space at CCI by using the SISO app or in a or a web browser.
Step 1 - Login
For more information, see our guide on how to login to ORB and check your store.
Step 2 – Dashboard
From the Dashboard, when you first log in, click "Book":
Step 3 – Space Booking
From the next screen, select "Space Booking":
Step 4 – Pick the space
Now you can pick from a list of Technical Resources; not all spaces are bookable; some are just first come, first served.
Step 5 – Booking
Step 5A – Acknowledge the information pop-up
When you view the resource, you may be presented with a pop-up with important information about the resource, read it then close the box:
Step 5B – Select a resource
There are 2 ways to pick your resource. By default, you will see the "Asset List," which is a scrollable list of resources and times for a given day.
In most spaces, you can also switch to the "Floor Plan" view, select a specific resource and then see its availability for the given day.
Step 5C – Selecting a day
You can click on the blue underlined date to change to another day, by default, it will show the current date:
Step 5D – Selecting a time range
You can drag the time range around left and right by pressing and holding; this can be confusing on a computer as it doesn't scroll left and right with your mouse or trackpad.
To select a time, click one on the start time, scroll (drag) to the end time, and again click once on that. The time will be highlighted in blue:
Step 5E – Confirm
If you are on the Asset List, press Book after you've selected the time.
You must now read and agree to the ORB Terms and Conditions:
Step 5F – Errors
Each resource has a different set of rules, for how near your booking can be, how many you can book at once, and for how long.
If your booking violates these rules, you'll get an error explaining that and will need to adjust accordingly:
Step 5G – Finished
You'll get a green tick confirming your booking.
More information about the resource
In the Asset List, you can click the blue underlined resource names to create a focused timeline and a picture of the item.
This is the same as clicking on the item in the Floor Plan view:
From here, if you click the name again in ORB, it will bring up even more information about the item:
Which looks like this:
How to cancel a booking in ORB
You can cancel a booking by visiting ORB on the SISO app or in a or a web browser.
You can book a space at CCI by using the SISO app or in a or a web browser.
Step 1 - Login
For more information, see our guide on how to login to ORB and check your store.
Step 2 – Dashboard
From the Dashboard, when you first log in, scroll down a bit and click "Manage My Bookings":
Step 3 – Find the Booking to cancel
Find the cancel button next to your booking, it may read "Cancel All" this will only cancel the booking inside its next to.
Step 4 – Reason
Put a reason if there is one; this is not required, and confirm the cancellation.
Please don't leave important information in this box as it may not be seen, you can always post in Slack or ask a technician for help.
Step 5 – Cancelled
You'll see a red box confirming the booking was cancelled.
How to get the app
Step 1 – Install the App
The ORB app is called "smarthub" on both App Stores:
Android
Download and install the ORB app for Android.
iOS
Download and install the ORB app for iOS.
Step 2 – Login into ORB on a computer
Next, you must login to ORB on another computer.
Step 3 – Go to the APP feature of ORB in your browser
Step 3A - Open the menu
Step 3B - Search "app" in the menu
Step 4 - Scan the QR code in the smarthub app
Step 5 - Finish
Follow instructions on your phone to login to the app with your UAL username and password as normal.