Connected and partially connected
This following diagram is a simplified view of the UNICOM Intelligence interviewing architecture relevant to the Partially Connected and Connected implementations.
Basic steps for web interviewing
1 The respondent clicks a URL from an email or a link on a website. The URL might resemble:
http://www.myinterviewingserver.com/mrIWeb/mriWeb.dll&I.Project=ProjectToStart
2 mrIWeb recognizes the URL as a request to start the interview and asks the Interviewer Session Engine (mrIEng) to create an inbound interview. The process includes a load balancing step to select the least busy interviewing engine.
3 mrIEng loads the project, sets up a data record for the respondent, loads the interview script, runs the script to the first Ask statement, and sends the Player XML for the first page back to mrIWeb.
4 mrIWeb transforms the Player XML to HTML by using the HTML Player.
5 mrIWeb passes the HTML to the respondent browser.
6 The respondent completes the interview page and submits it.
7 mrIWeb accepts the Post, and then transforms the HTML into Player XML that contains the response.
8 mriWeb posts the Player XML back to mrIEng.
9 mrIEng passes the Player XML to the interview script, which handles the response and runs the routing script to the next Ask.
A Partially Connected or Connected mobile application interacts with the Web Service similarly to the respondent’s browser.
The Connected Mobile example Interviewing Shell connects to the REST based Interview Web Service. The web service provides support for HTML, XML, and JSON protocols that can be used to start interviews, submit answers, and retrieve subsequent pages. The example uses the JSON protocol.
The Interviewing Shell uses a Renderer component to transform XML into the HTML that displays in an embedded browser. Alternatively, the XML can be processed and displayed in a custom user interface.
Interview Web Service describes which URLs are used.
Player XML schema also provides useful information. The topics, along with the Mobile SDK Connected example code, provide enough information to build a Connected mobile solution.
The difference between a Connected and Partially Connected solution is determined by how the Interviewing Shell handles the Player XML, which contains multiple questions per page. The standard interviewing solution renders a more complex page that allows respondents to answer all questions at the same time. A Partially Connected solution might store the Player XML locally for later use while disconnected. The Partially Connected solution can separate the multiple question page and present each question on a separate page. The solution can then create the full page response in Player XML and save the information for submission when the connection is available. The process provides an experience that is closer to the disconnected experience while still relying on the UNICOM Intelligence system for all logic.
See also
