Features — User interface

Required software any browser For the person completing the on-line questionnaire, the system demands no specialised software. All operations are performed by a basic Internet browser. Any browser supporting the display of HTML tables conforms to the CallWeb specifications, which definitely includes the third versions (and later) of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator as well as Firefox. CallWeb was tested using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape Navigator and Opera under Windows and Linux. CallWeb does not rely on Javascript, Java or any other non standard programming module. Safari for Windows version 3 was found to lack compliance with basic HTML codes and should not be used with CallWeb. Control over the visual display The structure of CallWeb allows the utilisation of all HTML functionalities thereby opening the way to great flexible in the visual presentation of the questionnaire. Display of a progress bar The system can display a progress bar indicating how far the user is into the questionnaire. Although the effectiveness of this feature has not yet been demonstrated, it is possible that, knowing that the task progresses, the user be more likely to complete the questionnaire. Switching between languages The questionnaire may display buttons to switch, during the data collection, among the languages defined in the questionnaire. This operation is done without data loss. Navigation within the questionnaire without data loss The user may go back and forth within the questionnaire to recall or modify one or several previous answers. Subsequent answers are preserved. If a new answer calls for a new path within the questionnaire, the data are updated and the user is redirected to the new sequence of questions. Partial answers provided on a page before clicking on the button to access the previous page are saved. Questions displayed individually or in groups The system can display one, several or all questions at a time. The selection of questions to display is that of the questionnaire designer. To take advantage of the strengths of the system, it is preferable to plan cuts where the questionnaire may branch in different directions. Linear or table-style presentation When consecutive questions use the same response categories, they may be presented as a compact table which can contain several question in both the row and column dimensions; the header of the table can then be repeated at a frequency determined by the questionnaire designer. Tables can be built with questions making up the lines and response categories, the columns, or vice versa. Otherwise, the questions comprising the display can be lined up vertically, one after the other. A given display screen can include both tables and vertically positioned questions. Semantic differential A series of questions presented in table format may feature different labels for each of the extreme positions of the scales. Each line of the table may display different labels. Conformance to access standards for people with special needs CallWeb conforms to W3C guidelines relating to access standards for people with special needs. These guidelines are available online.