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If you have a wizard which divides a process into 2 steps and the following flow is being made. What should be the header?

--->click on "create XYZ" which will take you to the step 1 of the wizard Page header: Create form

---> click on "save and next" which will take you to the step 2

---> then click on "back" Page header: ?????

button create step1:create save and next to step2 back to step1

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  • This is a bit hard to follow, could you clarify what you mean by wizard? Is this for the web or in a specific application?
    – Manu
    Mar 25, 2015 at 15:47
  • Welcome to UX StackExchange! Please include a wireframe or sketch of your wizard to illustrate your question, because it is not clear what youare asking.
    – tohster
    Mar 25, 2015 at 16:58
  • sorry for the late reply. thanks for the help. I have added and edited the question :)
    – Milah
    Mar 26, 2015 at 23:36
  • Why should it say save and next and not just next?
    – xpy
    Sep 23, 2015 at 12:15
  • if it's this simple, just combine both steps
    – colmcq
    Oct 23, 2015 at 14:29

4 Answers 4

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Your process consists of two steps. Until both of them are complete it can not be said as completed. That means, the final click on Done completes the process. In that case, if user goes back to the first step, the header should not change.

User is still in the process of creating it. What happens if user abandons it on the second step? Are you saving the first step and allowing user to start from the second step directly at a later point of time? In such case, are you willing to split the flow into two different modules?

A wizard is used when there are dependent steps which users do one after the other. Hence, until all steps are completed you can not say process is completed.

Save and next should be used when the form is big and users are not expected to finish the entire process in one sitting. If you have few fields, you should check if you can just put next and complete the operation in one sitting.

Even if the form is big and you are going to provide save, does that mean the first screen contents are usable somewhere else in the system even before the next screen is filled? If yes, it should not be a wizard. If not then header title should not change, as the operation is still incomplete.

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I would actually use a more standard and time tested approach by having the following page syntax for a 2 step process

Create XYZ: [Step 1] Create XYZ: [Step 2]

What is important as well is that for the step verbiage, you use similar syntax like well as verb + noun or noun, etc..

The advantage with this approach is that the Create XYZ process is always in context. You may also want to put the text below the step numbers in smaller text in addition to the page title or move the 1 and 2 numbers centered at the top of the page.

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  • I agree. The wizard needs a title and the steps need their own titles or even better; descriptions.
    – jazZRo
    Mar 24, 2016 at 9:01
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If user already created the form in the first step of the wizard (which I guess you mean a pop up overlay), in that case after clicking the back button I would recommend using "Edit Form" as the header, because user already passed the first step and the second step has been seen by him/her. So once they click "Back" they know that they are going back to change something in the created form, then the header must indicate that action, which is about changing/editing.

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  • Thanks for the answer. I liked your explanation. So basically you would say there is no dependency of the two steps? Is it because the button implicitly says "save"?
    – Milah
    Mar 26, 2015 at 23:45
  • Yeah, that would be a good description for that. You should consider what people think when they are doing the save action, what is gonna be saved, and how do you call that array of actions before the "Save".
    – aliesifar
    Mar 27, 2015 at 20:29
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The solution to your problem is to use a descriptive title for the first tab that says what the user does there. Like Name your item or Set destination. If the fields on that tab are of mixed functionality and you can't think of a more specific phrase, use something general Basic configuration.

By avoiding the word "create", it's not as weird when the user revisits that tab.

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