Metrics - "0 Downloads" is misleading for unpublished content

[mheppler]

Anywhere we display download metrics -- root dataverse pg, dataset pg (dataset level and file table), file pg -- there is a "0 Downloads" displayed for unpublished objects. This is misleading. As a data owner (my local dev environment), I had to click download on one of my files in an unpublished dataset to determine if the metrics count would change. It did not. That made me wonder if it was broken.

The "0 Downloads" for unpublished objects should be hidden, or changed to display a short message that explain metrics are only tracked for published objects.

[TaniaSchlatter]

This type of help needs to be considered with how we currently present other messaging to new/infrequent depositers, and how we want to do this moving forward, as part of the "publish" workflow. Noting that this type of in-UI help is not useful for installations with end-users who don't deposit their own data.

I expect it will be more helpful to newer end users who deposit to add a bit of text to explain the pre-publish state rather than hiding "0 Downloads" (see image). Or, text could be in place of 0 Downloads. This is one of several possible solutions, to be explored in more detail.

[jggautier]

During a review of the Private URL feature and its new anonymized URL option, 3 of the 6 people we spoke with thought this count on an unpublished dataset would be helpful for indicating how many reviewers had actually looked at their files.

When we clarified that the count would always show 0 until the dataset was published, they said that seeing "0" would give them the false impression that no one reviewing their dataset had actually viewed or downloaded the files.