Voting: In 'start topic voting' message missing re missing voting question

[BeccaMelhuish]

Kind of a bug, kind of UX insight:

Here, in Step 3 of 'Start voting topic' pop-up there should be a message where I've marked yellow that 'You have not yet defined a voting question (Step 2)'. (Should it be in a red box or something @kevincrepin, to show it is a specific message to them not just general instructions? Or do you have other suggestions for what to do here?)

The lack of this message caused an issue in a UX test, as the 'Voting question' bit with no voting question underneath means it looks like a heading for the section if you are at Step 3 without having filled in Step 2. (Which is what happened, someone filling it in a very non-linear way).

[ilmartyrk]

@BeccaMelhuish disabled the button if fields are not filled

[BeccaMelhuish]

Ah thanks but you can still get to Step 3 via the tabs, and also people like to check all the steps to understand what's ahead, so I think that won't help :)

So for these empty bits:

In each case there needs to be a little message that can go there until there is a voting question/system added, or until the so that it never looks like this above, but always either has a voting question / 'Define voting answers' boxes under it or has a message under it e.g.: 'Please define question in Step 2.' 'Please select voting system in Step 2.'

Maybe @kevincrepin can help with a design for this, or they can just be in italic text? Or red text?

[ssin1901]

@ilmartyrk button only for Step 2 and Step 3 (screenshot1, screenshot2) but Step 4 without a voting question has an enabled button (screenshot2). Step 4 button should also be disabled.

[ssin1901]

Currently fixed has not been implemented (See screenshot). Moving it out of the testing column because it is not in the in progress column.

[BeccaMelhuish]

Coming back to this now with a fresh insight support that the current system isn't working.

In an informal user test with a team member, the buttons being greyed out weren't a clear indicator of what the problem was. She didn't realise it was because she hadn't selected a voting system. So she just assumed it was a bug and gave up. This backs up my previous feelings on this solution, based on what I saw in previous user tests too.

Here's what I would suggest:

1. We mark all compulsory fields with the red asterisk (they are currently missing).

2. We don't grey out the buttons.

3. If someone clicks on one of the 'Continue' buttons, without having filled out a compulsory field in the tab they are currently in, they get a notification telling them to fill out the missing field:

"Please add a voting question" "Please select a voting system"

The relevant field(s) should go red, with the red text underneath

I.e. Just like we do here:

4. If they get to step 3 without having added either a voting question or vote answers. Here in red there should be a message saying:

"Voting question missing. Please go back to Step 2." "Vote answers missing. Please go back to Step 2."

5. Same as the above, if they get to Step 4 without filling them out:

5. If they still manage to get to here and click on the button (pretty unlikely, but just in case) with any of the fields missing, they can get a generic error (the same regardless of what is missing).

Oops, something's missing! Please fill out all compulsory fields (marked with a red asterisk).

[kevincrepin]

Not sure if I understood correct, but in step 3 the user defines the answers, so they can not be set yet (or trigger the error) in step 2. In step 2 the user sets the voting system type.

[BeccaMelhuish]

You're quite right yes! That makes it simpler :)

Though we'd also need the same here saying 'Voting system is missing. Go back to Step 2' for if they didn't choose a system:

And @kevincrepin what do you think to also including these notifications in Step 4, in case they did manage to miss something:

• 'Voting question is missing. Go back to Step 2'
• 'Voting system is missing. Go back to Step 2'
• 'Voting answers are missing. Go back to Step 3'.
• 'Voting rights are missing. Go back to Step 3.'

As these are all the mandatory things which they could potentially have missed, in which case we could make the 'Continue' button stay blue throughout (rather than grey when something is missing), except at the very end where it could be grey if something is missing. As from what I've seen the grey buttons earlier on aren't a clear indication to the user of what's wrong, and if they haven't noticed the tabs then they can't get forward at that point to see the messages telling them what they missed. (Though not a solid insight, so would base it on your instinct of what's best).

[kevincrepin]

I'm feeling more and more that these tabs should not be clickable and we force the user to go through the process? :)

Because it's a lot of negative emotions if you don't do anything wrong (because we allow you to explore) and then you see these warning all over the place.

And we could then just do the validation in each step and indicate what is missing within the right context.

[BeccaMelhuish]

@kevincrepin I think that makes a lot of sense!

While we're at it, what do think to changing 'Continue' to 'Next' is such places (here and if there's similar elsewhere)? It was only 1 user so I didn't report it, but there was a little confusion for 1 user here thinking that 'Continue' was to finalise when he'd not even added any details yet, and a suggestion of 'Next' which does seem more clear?