Is the any design principle that would help to decide which screen, or steps, should go first in a two-steps form to create an event?

Question

In order to create an event, there are two types of information to complete, divided already in two screens. One screen is to fill out details about the people going to the event, the reason of it, who pays for it and how long is going the post to be online (in total 4 inputs to complete). The second screen is entirely about choosing the place of the event.

We are not sure about which screen should go first. Personally, I think the screen with the details of the event should go first, as in this case, what’s relevant for user is the purpose and who is going to the event instead of the place. However, seems that putting the selection of the place of the event first, would help to make understand people what they are creating at the first place.

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

You've already completed the design: there will be two screens that collect a different type of data. You're asking which screen to present first. Your question has little context (your organisation's goals, the users' motivation, etc), so here's a generic answer.

Let the results decide.

Publish one version, and then track the results. After a large sample, switch the two pages and continue to track the results. After a further large sample, compare the two designs. Or you may be able to publish both at once, in an A/B test. You'll want to read about the large sample size you need for a valid A/B test.

Answer 2

It is very frustrating for a user to fill a lot of details on screen one and then realize they don't have a suitable option on the last screen. Also, it's very frustrating to realize that you don't have the information needed to fill the last screen and will have to start over later. So my suggestion would be: put all the hard and mandatory stuff first, very limited options even before that, everything simple or optional last.