March 8, 2024

Over the past 18 months we have gathered feedback from many SurveyStack users (special thanks to OpenTEAM for their detailed feedback and continued support). Now we are beginning a major overhaul of the SurveyStack user interface (UI) and privacy settings in response to that feedback. In the first phase, which we hope to release in May, we are focusing on:

• A “Group First” user interface – get where you want faster and easier.
• Better and clearer options for viewing, managing and submitting results
• Better and clearer privacy settings

User Interface Updates

A common complaint we’ve heard from users is that navigating the app to find resources (surveys, scripts, etc) is not intuitive. Then, when found, the options to manage (view, edit, etc) those resources are spread across different pages.

In response, we are re-structuring the UI to make each users’ group selection (i.e. workspace) more intentional, to aggregate group resources more clearly, and to add menu options for managing those resources within a single view.

Below, are mock-ups for multiple activities. These mock-ups show the view that group administrators (admins) would see for each activity. In most cases the member view is almost identical, just with fewer menu options.

1. Getting Started (homepage; members and admins)
2. Viewing Submissions (a completed response of a survey; members and admins)
3. Completing a Draft (finishing a survey response; members and admins)
4. Working with Surveys (admins)
5. Viewing Results (usually admins)
6. Other Resources (admins)

Getting Started

When you log in, you see your group memberships. Selecting a group will bring up its workspace. Here you will find all your resources related to that group in one place.

1. See the group workspace name in the upper left.
2. View all of your drafts (survey responses that you have yet to complete)
3. View all submissions (view all survey responses that you’ve completed)
4. View all surveys that you have access to.
5. For admins only, view additional resources related to the group (question sets, scripts, etc).

Viewing Submissions

Select All My Submissions to view all completed surveys you have submitted to the current group.

If you’re a member of multiple groups, use the Group Selector in the upper left corner to switch between group workspaces.

Click on the menu (3 horizontal dots) to view more options for that submission.

Completing a Draft

To complete a draft, select All My Drafts, scroll though the list of drafts and then select Continue for the draft you wish to complete

Working with Surveys

Quickly find surveys associated with the group by selecting All Surveys.

Members and admins can now access ALL survey options they have rights for directly from the survey list.

• Members will be able to quickly Start Survey or View Results for that survey (if they have permission to view results).
• Admins will be able to quicky View, Edit or Copy the survey. Additionally, they can email a Call for Submissions to their group members without having to go to a separate administrative screen.

Selecting Start Survey will take you directly to the 1st question of the survey, users will no longer be directed to a Survey Landing Page prior to beginning a survey.

Viewing Results

The Results page will be re-designed to make it easier for group admins to track submissions and searchability.

1. Export results as a csv or json
2. View submission activity
3. Select view type
4. Search or organize submissions
5. Manage individual submissions

Other Resources

Manage and create new question sets and scripts from the group workspace. These options will be limited to group admins only.

New Privacy Settings

Another area of confusion among SurveyStack users is who has the right to see surveys, manage submissions, view anonymized results, etc. 

We describe SurveyStack as “survey software designed to empower shared community knowledge.” Indeed, the privacy settings of SurveyStack reflects this with settings that default to maximize data sharing. 

However, through feedback from many SurveyStack users, and those who decided not to use SurveyStack, we are updating our Privacy Settings to create more membranes between different groups and users. The new settings will provide survey creators and group admins with more granular control over:

• Who can submit a survey: survey creators can choose to share a survey with anyone (public) or specific communities. These settings will be similar to SurveyStacks current structure.
• Who can view/edit completed submissions: survey creators will now be able to control who can manage submissions to that survey. For example, a group may not want a respondent to be able to edit a submission once it is complete, they will now be able to restrict those rights.
• Who can view anonymized results from a survey: groups will now be able to restrict which users can view anonymized results. This is a significant change from the current structure which allows us to address the privacy concerns of many groups.

Overall, we hope these changes will address community concerns while still maintaining features that enable and encourage sharing and increasing community knowledge. We will share more specifics about the new permissioning rules as we get nearer to the phase 1 release in a few months.

How to Get Involved

Interested in providing user feedback or reviewing the new user interface? Please contact Greg at greg@our-sci.net