How to use LifeGuide
Leanne Morrison
[email protected]
04 August 2010
How do you create your web pages using
LifeGuide?
• Creating the pages…
– Just like MS word and powerpoint
Change the
style and
formatting of
your text
Change the style
and formatting of
your text box
Insert text
boxes
Insert
images or
videos
Order all the
items on
your page
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How do you create your web pages using
LifeGuide?
• Filing of your intervention pages is just like ‘my documents’
– Give each page, and each component on a page a unique
name (this unique name is used to write the logic)
Alphabetical list of every
page and image within
your intervention
Open, close and modify
your pages at anytime
3
What can you create using LifeGuide?
Tell users if
they’ve made
a mistake
Insert
links
Ask users
questions
4
What can you create using LifeGuide?
Insert
images
Set page
backgrounds
5
What can you create using LifeGuide?
Setting variables –
present user with their
selections from a
previous page
Insert Buttons
6
How do you write logic using LifeGuide?
• Writing the logic…
– Is like writing a story
– Tells the website or intervention exactly what you want
it to do at each stage
Just like using predictive
text on your mobile
You name
everything in
your logic
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Logic: A simple example
begin dietsection
show p5adietintro
show p5dbalanceddiet
show p5eavoidfood
show p5fdietroutine
end
Simple commands –
“show” is like telling
the website to turn a
page
Create sections – just
like chapter headings
in a book or piece of
writing
The start of every logic
command begins with
a page name
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Logic: A more complex example
show p1habits
if (p1habits.q1 = “yes”) set habit1 to 2
if (p1habits.q1 = “maybe”) set habit1 to 1
if (p1habits.q1 = “no”) set habit1 to 0
…
set habitscore to (sum(habit1, habit2, habit3, habit4))
show p2habitfeedback1 if (habitscore <= 5)
show p2habitfeedback2 if (habitscore >= 5)
Items on a page
e.g. quizzes or
questions for the
user to answer
“if” functions are like
directions – think
about “choose your
own adventure” story
books
Possible answers
to the questions
on a page
“set” function allows
you to allocate your
user a score based
on their answers to
a quiz
Numeric functions –
just like Microsoft
Office Excel
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What’s it really like to use LifeGuide
• Frustrating, at times
• Time consuming
BUT…
• Excellent support available
– LifeGuide team, LifeGuide Community Website
(www.lifeguideonline.org), Researcher help manual
• LifeGuide gives you greater control over your intervention
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Top Tips for using LifeGuide
• Plan ahead (e.g. order of pages, location of images etc…)
• Keep records (e.g. page names, solved errors…)
• Develop consistent labels (makes the logic a little easier)
• Write logic as you go (this will keep it fresh in your mind)
• Break the logic down into small steps
• User testing
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