Controlling the flow of questions with Finder (classic)

Nexthink Finder is a Windows-only desktop application whose functionality is now available within the Nexthink web interface. Nexthink can now be used directly from a browser and most functions no longer require an additional desktop application.

The order in which you have defined campaign questions will determine the natural order in which the user answers them. However, at times it is not necessary to ask all of the defined questions. This is particularly true when a question depends on how the user has answered a previous question.

For instance, consider a campaign that contains the following two questions:

1. A single answer question Do you need a cloud storage service to share your work? with possible outcomes Yes or No.

2. A multiple answer question Select the cloud storage services that you prefer, with possible choices Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or others.

It is obvious that users who have answered No to the first question will find the second question superfluous or even annoying. In this example, you can avoid the situation by removing the first question and adding a default choice to the second question: I do not need a cloud storage service. In more complex scenarios, however, you may want to skip over a question or two when the situation requires it.

Specifying your question flow

The campaign branching functionality enables creating branching of the questions' flow and can be set up in the Content section by enabling the Advanced settings available for all question types with an exception of:

• the multiple answer question type, as it would be difficult for a campaign to decide which question to jump to if a user selects two or more choices of a multiple answer question and each choice specifies a different branching option.

• the final message, as it has to be always displayed as the last question of the campaign.

When campaign branching is enabled, dedicated fields are displayed for each choice. When configured, they indicate to the campaign that the normal flow of questions is modified. Instead of asking the user the next question in the defined order, the campaign skips to the question specified in the step to option. You can also configure it to skip directly to the end of the campaign if there are no pertinent questions left.

When creating a campaign:

1. Define your questions in the order you find the most natural flow.

2. Then, configure the branching options for each choice that may deviate from the flow.

Specifying your question flow

There are two ways to alter the order of the questions in a campaign, and both are based on the same mechanism: the step to option. A step to declaration indicates to the campaign that the normal flow of questions has been modified. Instead of asking the user the next question in the defined order, the campaign will jump to the question specified in the step to option. It is also possible to specify a direct jump to the end of the campaign if there are no pertinent questions left.

The two ways of altering the order of the questions in a campaign refer to the places where you can apply the step to option. These are the following:

• A particular choice of either a single answer or opinion scale question.

• The end of the question.

By applying a step to option to individual choices, you create branches in the question flow. Note, however, that you cannot apply a step to option to the choices of multiple-answer questions. Indeed, it would be difficult for a campaign to decide which question to jump to if a user selects two or more choices of a multiple-answer question and each choice specifies a different step to option.

Step to options at the end of a question are generally used to merge the different branches generated by individual choices. For single answer and opinion scale questions, the step to options of individual choices take precedence over the step to option declared at the end of the question. This is explicitly stated in the Finder with the message If not specified above, step to when declaring the step to option at the end of a single answer or opinion scale question. For multiple answer questions, the message just reads Step to, since you cannot have individual step to options for each choice.

Thus, when creating a campaign, define your questions in the order that you find the most natural. Then, for each choice that should create a path that deviates from the natural order, set a step to option. Finally, merge different paths back into one by jumping from the end of questions in distinct paths to a common question (or to the end of the campaign).

You will end up with a workflow that, if depicted, should resemble the following diagram.

Note that workflows can help you reduce the number of questions that you ask in a campaign. In the example workflow above, for instance, users will answer at most three questions out of the five questions defined.

Displaying workflows in devices with outdated Collectors

For end-users with versions of the Collector prior to 6.8 installed in their devices, campaigns may be displayed only if they have no step to options defined or not displayed at all. See the article on the display compatibility of the Collector with campaigns for specific support information by a particular version of the Collector.