Several significant user interface enhancements were deployed as part of our release which took place on 13 February. In this short tutorial, I’d like to introduce you to 3 of the elements which were either added or enhanced.

Breadcrumb

A Breadcrumb is a common navigational element used on many websites to allow users to orientate themselves and quickly move from one place to another with relatively few clicks. The term originates from the age-old fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel who leave breadcrumbs behind them in the hope of finding their way home.

In the research console, the breadcrumb has been implemented to indicate the current:

1. Organisation / account
2. Selected study
3. Selected survey. If a survey is selected, the survey’s status will also be displayed.

Account: Clyral; Study: Training; Survey: Training Demo

Clicking anywhere on the Breadcrumb will open the Quick-switch panel which has been reworked to make navigation substantially easier.

Quick-switch

Although the Quick-switch is not altogether new (you were always able to open it by clicking on the arrow at the top left of the screen) we have redesigned this feature to provide a much more intuitive and comprehensive set of navigation options.

The Quick-switch provides instant access to every study and survey which you have permission to access. Simply select the study and then choose the survey you’d like to access. You will be redirected to the same tab you’re currently viewing but with the chosen survey in context. Alternatively, if you’d like to see an overview of activity for a study, select it from the Quick-switch then click the “Dashboard” link at the top right.

The Quick-switch panel provides access to all studies and surveys.

Depending on the permissions you have been granted, you may also be able to create new surveys and studies from the Quick-switch panel.

Ribbon

If you’ve used Microsoft Office 2007, you’ll be familiar with the concept of a ribbon. When you select one of the main function groups (such as Home, Insert, View, etc), a ribbon with additional actions related to the group appears. The use of a ribbon in the research console provides access to common functionality based on the main tab selected.

Actions available from the dashboard ribbon