Request review of PHP Survey System (http://www.bigredspark.com/survey.html)

I've posted about this program before, but I've made a lot of changes to it.

The program is called UCCASS: Unit Command Climate Assessment and Survey System. It was originally designed for the government to conduct annual surveys but I'm now able to release it myself to the public. Review the system here: http://www.bigredspark.com/survey.html (there are screenshots and a demo system).

The survey system allows you to create online surveys with unlimited questions, answers, etc. You're able to define dependencies to control whether specific questions should be hidden or required based upon answers to any previous questions.

Results are shown as bar graphs and can be "filtered" based upon the results of any questions. For instance, if you ask users their gender, you can later filter the results and just view the answers for those that chose "female" as their gender. You can combine the filters, also, so viewing results for "Asian-American Females over 30 who have worked at their job for 10+ years" is feasible so long as you've asked the users each of those questions.

The system is build around Smarty and ADOdb so additional templates can be easily created.

I'm just looking for a review on it's functionality and any recommendations you may have to make it cleaner, smoother, easier to understand, etc. Are there any features missing (I know there are).

The admin password is just "password" so you can get in and play with any of the surveys. Check out the "Example Survey" or "Test Survey" for good examples, as the other may or may not have any questions in them (user created, that's why).

Thank you for any feedback you can provide.

---John Holmes...

I spent about fifteen minutes playing around with it, and I have no complaints.

Both the public survey itself and the admin sections have good navigational flow. I never felt I needed to click the back button (that's my test for good navigation). I could do what I wanted and what I expected w/o having to look around. Everything seemed to be right where I needed/expected it to be.

I also tried to come up with a question/answer scenario that the app wouldn't allow me to create, and I couldn't. At first I thought I was limited to the answer types in the select menu, then I ran accoss to the New Answer Type section.

I guess that's my only suggestion ... Under Edit Questions, after selecting a question to edit by clicking an Edit button, have a link to the New Answer Type section next to the Answer Type select menu (and also under Edit Questions, New Question at the bottom). Or better yet, allow one to be created on the fly, and update the select menu.

Thanks for checking it out. I appreciate your comments. Adding in a couple extra links to the "new answer type" page would be simple.

"on the fly" creation would be a little difficult and it seems like the "add new question" area is already packed with information and options. However, I just had an idea that maybe I could provide an "other" text-box where you could write a "new" answer type (write the name for it, not the options, though). Doing that would create a new, empty, answer type and add it to the drop down. All you'd have to do, eventually, is go back and either add your choices or designate what type of answers you want...

What do you think of that? It seems like that would allow people to create the questions first, then fill in the answer choices. I know I kind of have it backwards now by requiring the answer types to be created before the questions.

---John Holmes...

Had a little play with it - and well done Thats a really nice program you've made there I can't really think of any improvements!

Come on guys... don't hold back!!

I think there definately needs to be some integration with answer types and survey creation. Allowing the user to create empty types may work, but it might also confuse the user; they may think they've completely added the type or when they go to edit it, they end up adding another, or something similar. You know how users can be.

I hate to suggest using a new window, but that would allow the user to completely add the answer type while creating the question.

- user clicks new question
- clicks new answer type
- new window opens
- user completes answer type form, submits (handle as normal)
- refresh parent (new answer type is displayed in new question form)
- close opened window

I've done this before, but on a smaller scale, where the user was simply creating a new category and category description. It worked well, and I liked it except for the fact that I opened a new window, which is just one of those design things I try to avoid.

Man, I really don't want to open a new window. There are probably a couple areas where I could have used something like that but have chosen not to.

What about just a simple notice You must edit this answer type to add answer values?

It's going to be pretty obvious when they have a question with no answer choices listed that they need to go add some. The confusion of do I add or do I edit is valid, though, but I'll just have to hope they figure it out. It'll also reject the "new" answer type if they try to use the same name.

---John Holmes...