In previous posts Trevor Owens and I showcased changes that are coming to the Viewshare platform. You can test out these changes over the next couple of months at http://beta.viewshare.org (your current login credentials will work). In addition to improved functionality and usability of the views, the workflow to load and build views has also been updated. In this post I’ll detail these workflow improvements. (Editor’s note: the Viewshare program was retired in 2018.)
Condensed Workflow
In the current version of Viewshare the workflow is broken into steps where users load data, edit data, build views, and then publish and share them (or keep them private). The data and views are separated into separate workflows. In response to user feedback, building and editing views are now done in a single, iterative workflow. After login, to get started simply click “Create View” and you’ll be taken to a preview of what your data would look like if you didn’t make any changes. If you’re a Viewshare super-user this could save some time and get you right to publishing your view but chances are you’ll want edit data and customize your view.
Edit your Data
From the “Edit” button users can define data types and augment data to build specialized views. The new process is streamlined and messages cues are improved. As in the original Viewshare platform place information, date information and text information can be transformed into the lat/long, ISO date, and list array data standards that build the interactive views.
Build & Preview Views
The new workflow allows users to simultaneously build and preview views. User can choose the page layout by selecting which widgets or facets to use on the build screen and select views to build and edit.
Edit Data Again
Often in the process of building and refining a view you will find something you’ll want to change in the data presentation. The real advantage of the new workflow is being able to toggle back and forth between building views and editing data.
Add More Views
Because it is so easy to move between editing data and building views users can iteratively create maps, timelines, tables, charts, graphs, and photo, audio and video galleries.
Save, Share, Embed
When views are ready to share there are lots of options. Users can save their views as public on Viewshare.org. It’s also possible to share views with just a few people by sharing a private link. And, as always views can be embedded into any website using the embed code.
We hope that these changes make your experience with Viewshare easier and more useful. As always we welcome comments and questions in the comments section of this post or in the Viewshare user feedback forum.