Do not show poll results to logged out users without user action

[matgb]

Title:
Do not show poll results to logged out users without user action

Area:
Polls

Summary:
If a user is not logged in, they should see the 'Fill Out Poll' display, with the 'submit' box marked unavailable, with a prompt to login in order to be able to vote.

Description:
Currently, if the reader of an entry is logged out, they see the results of a poll, without seeing the option to take part in any way. This leads to many users to assume they can't vote or the poll is closed; this is especially true of readers from other, non-LJ derived sites.

This is leading less off-site readers to take part in polls, and creates a bad usability experience and poor workflow, especially for users who have not logged in with OpenID before.

Instead of showing the current poll results to logged out users, they should see by default the fill out poll display, with a clickable option to see the results instead. In addition, a clear link to the login page, with a returnto keyed in, makes it much more likely an individual user will actually take part.

Ideally, of course, the logging in bit can be AJAXified alongside the other plans for polls.

I have mocked up a partial example of this using some CSS:
http://matgb.dreamwidth.org/376612.html the poll is from Miss_S_B's journal (this suggestion is at her request), and the returnto link takes you there. Unfortunately, a logged in user using style=mine will see the box intended for logged out users, but that's the best I can do without a change in the base code.

Thinking through for drawbacks of this, none spring to mind, logged out users, even DW account holders not knowing they're logged out, shouldn't see the results immediately before they've voted, logged in users don't, and it improves both interop and usability.

Poll #4089 Do not show poll results to logged out users without user action

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
15 (42.9%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
10 (28.6%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
7 (20.0%)

(I have no opinion)
3 (8.6%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[instantramen]

I for one hate websites that make it look like I can vote in a poll only to inform me I have to log in or register to participate.

[azurelunatic]

So the whole poll fill-out greyed out, and not just the submit?

[instantramen]

I think if it was changed at all, I'd prefer to continue showing the poll results, but where logged-in users who've voted see "Change Your Vote" logged-out users would see "Log in" and "OpenID" links or something to that effect.

[noracharles]

+1

[goodbyebird]

+1

[matgb]

My principle reason for cutting the results view as the default for logged out users is that it can discourage participation and it can also skew results, both are valid concerns within polling theory.

But you're right that having it display as if you can vote when you can't would be bad, that should've occured to me.

[zvi]

+1

[turlough]

+1

[kyrielle]

I don't think it should show the results, because it can skew the responses and is not ideal. I think it should show the poll title, a count of questions, and links to View Results, or Log In To Vote or the like.

[susanreads]

Something like this, yes, where you don't automatically see the questions or the results but can if you want to.

[syderia]

This

[ratcreature]

Yes. Me too.