Possibly Obsolete

Design Notes for A2J 5 Author

This is the current description for A2J 5 Authoring system as of 06/15/2013. Features may change at any time.

You = the author

File Management

Each author has her own space to upload/download files. You can upload A2J 4 interviews, media, and support XML files. Each interview has its own folder which contains the A2J 5 interview XML file and related files. You can create folders, move files, rename files and delete files as needed. You can preview images and either edit or run an interview. Previous versions of interviews are stored there as well.

Sharing

Unlike Google docs, where multiple users can edit the same doc, A2J 5 provides each author with their own copy of an interview. To share an interview for editing you select the 'share' button and identify the recipient. The recipient will receive a copy of the interview and attached files in a folder in their own file space. There are now two separate versions of the interview that can be edited independently. The recipient can share her version back with you. You can then replace your original with the update or continue with your own. Feature request: interview comparison option

Previewing

To demo an interview or allow others to test or use an interview you can 'preview' it. This places a copy of the current interview and related files into a special public area and provides a link that can be shared. The link starts the interview in 'run' mode. Anyone with the link can run the interview but any saved data is not saved, merely presented to the user in a 'report'. You can also download/upload answer files to plugin to local hotdocs for testing.

Publishing

To publish the interview to LHI you simply [todo].

Authoring Interface

About Tab

Information about this guide.

Language - Determines the language of built-in navigation elements and help system. Interview-specific content must still be translated manually.

[more]

Variables Tab

This lists all variables added manually via the Add Variable button or loaded from an existing interview.

Mapper Tab

The map is provided as a tool for the author to visualize the flow of an interview and to ensure branches are handled correctly. It's possible to create questions first then link them together later. The mapper is a convenient way to identify some flow issues.

Logic Tab

For Advanced users: This tab presents all logic in an interview in a single pane in source mode.

Viewer Interface

Avatars

Avatar selection for the guide - You can choose male or female gender for the Guide avatar or leave it blank. Choosing a gender is recommended only if you wish to match the gender of the audio guide files. If you aren't providing audio files then no gender should be specified.

Avatar selection for the user - In A2J 4 the user has no avatar until a User Gender is defined. In A2J 5 the same applies however upon advancing to the next question a random avatar matching the gender is chosen. A button also appears to allow the user to choose a different avatar (of either gender) which does not affect answer data, only the visual display of the user's avatar. At this point the user can also choose a different guide.