PEARS Layout Updates – July 2020

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Summary

The PEARS Team values your feedback and works to continually improve your PEARS experience. One avenue we use to solicit feedback is our Client Satisfaction Survey, administered every summer since 2018. The results of the 2019 PEARS Client Satisfaction Survey highlighted usability as an important factor for improving PEARS. In an effort to make PEARS more user friendly, the PEARS Team recently completed a range of updates to layouts across many PEARS modules to bring more consistency to the site.
These updates include:
  • Formatting modules in a similar manner to follow existing PEARS patterns
  • Splitting data entry into multiple sections
  • Including a “Mark as Complete” section
  • Including fields for comments and file attachments
  • Using uniform save buttons at the bottom of each section
These updates affect the following modules: Program Activities, Success Stories, Indirect Activities, Partnerships, Coalitions, PSE Site Activities, and Social Marketing Campaigns. The specific changes to each module are listed below.
 We hope these efforts to make PEARS more uniform will positively impact your experience.

Program Activities Updates

  • Previously in PEARS, the first section of the Program Activities module was referred to as “Program Activity Information.” Other modules in PEARS use the more universal “General Information” title for the corresponding section in those records. To keep nomenclature consistent across the site, we have changed “Program Activity Information” to “General Information.”
We’ve also made some adjustments to the nomenclature of the “Surveys” section of Program Activities. This section is now titled “Evaluation.” The decision was made to also slightly change the position of the surveys section to be listed before the demographics section. Our work with clients has indicated that demographic information is typically entered after survey data is collected, so the new order of sections makes more sense in typical Program Activity workflows.
Previously in PEARS, the “Attach Surveys” section presented users with two options to click: “Attach Survey” or “Continue to Mark as Complete.” This has been replaced with one field to ask users if any evaluations were performed. The response to this Yes/No question is now visible in the Excel export.
Program Activity Attach Surveys Old
Previously, the Attach Survey button appeared at the bottom of the page. Now, the Attach Survey button appears above the list of attached surveys.
Attach Survey Button Old
Previously, continuing to the next section required users to click “Continue to Mark as Complete.” Instead, three buttons have been added to match patterns used in other sections: “Save and continue,” “Save,” and “Cancel.”
Program Activity Continue to Mark as Complete

Success Stories Updates

Previously, Success Story data was recorded in one long page.
Old Success Story
To follow the layout of other PEARS modules, the Success Story data entry is now split into multiple sections: General Information, Story, and SNAP-Ed Custom Data. (The SNAP-Ed Custom Data section only appears for SNAP-Ed records. Extension records only include the General Information and Story sections). A progress bar and links to each section are listed on the right of each page. The same data is still collected. Only the layout of this module has changed.
Success Story General Info
Story
Success Story Custom Data
Previously, Success Stories displayed different buttons when a record was first created and when a record was edited.
Now, Success Stories include a uniform set of buttons at the end of each section. These buttons match the save buttons used in other modules.
Previously, Success Stories were not designated as “complete” or “incomplete.” Now, the “Mark as Complete” section is included in Success Stories, allowing users to click the “Mark as Complete” button after all data has been entered.
Success Story Mark as Complete Button
Previously, Success Stories did not include a place to record comments. 
Success Story No Comment
Now, a field for comments appears right before the File Attachments field. The formatting of the Comments field is the same as the Comments field in other modules. Note that the Comments field should only be used to record general information about the success story. This field should not be used to record the story itself. Comments recorded also appear in the Success Stories export.
Success Story Comment
Descriptive text is now listed for the File Attachments field:
“Optional. Upload files related to this Success Story such as pictures, scans of articles, etc.”
Since Success Stories can now be marked as complete, tools to access complete and incomplete records have been added.
A “Completed” column now appears on the Success Stories list to show which stories are complete/incomplete. Completed stories are represented by a green check mark.
Success Story List No Completed Column Success Story Completed Column
A “Completed” filter is now included in the filter options on the Success Stories list, below the “Created in range” filter. By default, both complete and incomplete records are listed. Optionally, users can filter to show only completed records or only records that are not completed.
   Success Story Completed Filter
Previously, the Success Stories list did not include a search field. Success Story List No Search
Now, users can now search for success stories based on words found in the story title, keywords, background, and story narrative.
Success Story List Search

Indirect Activities, Partnerships, and Coalitions Updates

Previously, Indirect Activities, Partnerships, and Coalitions did not include a place to record comments. 
 Now, a field for comments appears right before the File Attachments field in each module. The formatting of the Comments field is the same as the Comments field in other modules. Comments recorded also appear in the Excel export for each module.
Partnership Comments
Examples shown are from the Partnerships module.
Descriptive text is now listed for the File Attachments field in each module:
“Optional. Upload files related to this Indirect Activity.”
“Optional. Upload files related to this Partnership.”
“Optional. Upload files related to this Coalition.”

PSE Site Activities Updates

Descriptive text is now listed for the File Attachments field:
“Optional. Upload files related to this PSE Site Activity.”
Previously in PEARS, the order of demographics recorded in PSEs was: Gender, Ethnicity, Race, Age, and Student Status. This has been changed to match the order found in Program Activities: Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Race, and Student Status.
Characteristics beforeCharacteristics after
Previously in PEARS, the Recognition and Media Coverage section presented users with two buttons: “Add Recognition & Media Coverage” or “No Recognition & Media Coverage to Report.” This has been replaced with one field to ask users if recognitions or media coverage were received. The response to this Yes/No question is now visible in the Excel export.
Recognition yes-no BeforeRecognition yes-no after
Previously, adding recognition directed users to a new page. This has been changed so users can add recognition and media coverage from the same page.
add recognition before add recognition after
Previously, reported recognition and media coverage displayed as a table. The format has been changed to match patterns used in other sections.
media table before media table after
Previously, continuing to the next section required users to click either the “No Recognition & Media Coverage to Report” button or a link to the Sustainability section. Instead, three buttons have been added to match patterns used in other sections: “Save and continue,” “Save,” and “Cancel.”
PSE No Recognition Button PSE Save Buttons

Social Marketing Campaigns Updates

Previously, Social Marketing Campaigns did not include a place to upload files.
Social Marketing Old
Now, files can be uploaded in the File Attachments field. The number of files attached to each record is listed in the Social Marketing Campaigns export.