Displaying Schedule Information
Top tip: if there are
ScheduledSessions, any information within the eventSchedule (if present) can be considered supplemental. Only if there are no ScheduledSessions should the PartialSchedule included in the eventSchedule be used to display non-authoritative information about session timings.In the event that an
EventSeries contains both a ScheduledSession and PartialSchedule/Schedule, we recommend that you only show date/time information from the ScheduledSession, which is authoritative and, therefore, the guaranteed time that the session will occur.Showing both pieces of information could result in a confusing UX if it is not clear to the user that the
PartialSchedule/Schedule information is not a guarantee that it is taking place then.However, if you wish to present both pieces of information, we recommend you take care clearly render both
ScheduledSession andPartialSchedule/Schedule information so that it is obvious to the end user that:- The
ScheduledSessiontime is when this particular instance of the session is guaranteed to start; and - The
PartialSchedule/Scheduletime is when future instances of the session may start.
How a ScheduledSession and an eventSchedule can be rendered to help end users
If the information is presented obviously in this way, the end user will get the benefit of knowing more about the session without any ambiguity, which will help them decide if it's the right one for them (e.g. "Perhaps I'll come regularly if I like it. I can't always make the Tuesday, but look! They have sessions on Thursdays, too!").
You should not extrapolate based on the information found in the
eventSchedule and communicate to the end user that a session will definitely take place, e.g. every Tuesday and Thursday, as the future ScheduledSessions may tell us otherwise.If a
ScheduledSession is not present, caution should be exercised when presenting PartialSchedule information to the end user as it only tells us that a session might take place in the future.If you are presenting only
PartialSchedule information to the end user because there is no ScheduledSession, it should be made abundantly clear that:- The sessions are not guaranteed to take place; and
- They should contact the organiser to find out whether it is taking place or not.
For example, we highly recommend you include something like the following: “This session typically takes place on a Tuesday, but we’re not sure if it happens next Tuesday. Please contact the organiser to confirm.”
You could use a popover to include the above information to the end user so that they know that the session information should not be relied upon.
For more details on
ScheduledSessions, Schedules and PartialSchedules, please take a look at ScheduledSessions and eventSchedules.