Print Attendance Rolls - Hard to Find Feature

Unless you do this often, it's very difficult to remember how to find this feature. This past Sunday, the Relief Society secretary walked into the office with what should have been a simple request: Please print an attendance roll for the next three months. The financial clerk was already on the computer and the executive secretary was right there but, alas, they couldn't find the way to do this without retreating to the "help" instructions.

And, alas, the "Help" instructions were confusing because they refered to clicking on "Print" to select printing options. The clerk was used to using the lower, left-side "Print" button and, after a minute of confusion, finally noticed that there were two places labeled as "Print." (see edited screen capture attachment.)

This was pointed out in a previous thread http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.ph ... rerid=9418

...but this still seems to be a terribly non-intuitive function. Why aren't "Attendance Rolls" grouped with other reports/forms? Furthermore, please refer to the attached graphic and consider changing the upper, right "Print" to "Print Options." I mean, two clickable places which are called exactly the same thing should have exactly the same function.

I might be wrong, but can't you go to Organizations > Relief Society > Print rolls and lists? (I think that's the path to get it) There's a specific class roll function built into MLS that allows you to select the length of the roll, the timeframe, and special information.

Brother Anderson,

As a membership clerk, I use the screens you show when I want to find out if the organization is set up correctly in MLS. I print that screen to go over the organization with the organization head. This is a very useful function to me, as organization members can change things in MLS and occasionally mistakes have been made.

I think you have a very valid point regarding the two differing print options on the same screen. ...weird

I use the screens that LV refers to when I want to print rosters for organizations.

By the way, I have created classes for cub scout dens and for the Activity Day girls so that leaders can print rolls and track attendance there as well.

Ryan Ketcheson

While this is a specific problem, I think it is reflective of a larger user interface design problem within MLS. While MLS has improved much since its original introduction, there are some things that take too many steps, or features that are too difficult to find. I look at the the driving force behind the original MLS interface design as to add the required features. The time is ripe to move on to the next phase which is optimizing the interface to make it even more intuitive.

Because most users of MLS only use it once a week or less, and some functions might get used only a few times a year, those functions need to be made as intuitive as possible.

For example, there is more than one way in MLS to record a baby blessing, create a record for the child, and print the blessing certificate. But because that feature is used so infrequently in our unit at the moment, I always seem to find the ways that require extra steps to get all that completed because I can't remeber the one method to get it all done in one shot until after the fact. By the time I need to do it again, I have forgotten that method and end up going through extra steps.

In this scenario, specifically, it is unclear form the interface what should be done first: create the record, or record the blessing. My logic tells me that I can't record a blessing on a record that doesn't exist, but this is exactly the simplest way to everything that needs to be done completed for this situation. So I end up creating the record, then trying to figure out how to record the blessing, and then print the certificate.

A good example of intuitive design is the iPhone. Generally, most people can figure out how to use most of it's built-in functions and find functions they are looking for with little or no training/help.

In an attempt to be solution focused, it might be useful for the MLS design team to take a fresh look at the MLS interface through the eye of making it more intuitive a la iPhone/iPad application. I am not suggesting that MLS needs to become and iPhone/iPad app, but following some of those design principles might make MLS more intuitive.

Fortunately, Apple publishes those guidelines freely.
iPhone Human Interface Guidelines
iPhone Human Interface Guidelines for Web Applications
iPad Human Interface Guidelines

jbh001 wrote:Fortunately, Apple publishes those guidelines freely.
iPhone Human Interface Guidelines
iPhone Human Interface Guidelines for Web Applications
iPad Human Interface Guidelines

I don't know why, but those pages render horribly in IE8 and some links do not work. Is that a direct link to a version specific page?

GregAnderson wrote:Unless you do this often, it's very difficult to remember how to find this feature.

Welcome to the forum GregAnderson!

I'm not sure of your calling, but as ward clerk I do the roll printing each quarter for all the organizations, for the reason you've mentioned, and the fact that not everyone has easy access to the clerks office MLS computer.

The MLS software isn't very intuitive, but as you work with it more, you'll find it's power. And for the future of MLS? If you are the ward clerk or bishop, take a peek here at the beta LDS.org, which will allow you to print roles and birthday lists easier, right now, and from home! Seems to be a major re-working of the way we will do all these tasks and much more. Sign in under "leaders (stake president, bishop, clerk) resources," with your LDS account info, and look at the "reports and forms" tab. (you'll need to be called as a clerk, i think)

But for now, I make sure the organizations have the roles (and a reminder) for the quarterly report month especially, with a note about the required attendance stats I'll need. For example, I give the RS and elders a Young Single Adult role to help them, and remind them that these need to be tracked separately (counted twice) for the quarterly report. I give them out to each organization at ward council meeting before they are needed. Some organizations do it themselves.

Every ward needs an MLS "expert." Who is it in your ward? If you ask your organizations, you'll find a lot of them are doing things the HARD way, like making paper lists, and the MLS computer can probably do it easier and simpler, perhaps with the help of a spreadsheet, and some coaxing.

kisaac wrote:And for the future of MLS? If you are the ward clerk or bishop, take a peek here at the beta LDS.org, which will allow you to print roles and birthday lists easier, right now, and from home! Seems to be a major re-working of the way we will do all these tasks and much more. Sign in under "leaders (stake president, bishop, clerk) resources," with your LDS account info, and look at the "reports and forms" tab. (you'll need to be called as a clerk, i think).

Unless something has changed very recently, you have to be either bishop or ward clerk. Counselors and assistant clerks don't have access.

RussellHltn wrote:I don't know why, but those pages render horribly in IE8 and some links do not work. Is that a direct link to a version specific page?

The links appear to render fine in both Firefox, Safari, and the IE9 beta so I'm inclined to say it's an IE8 thing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kisaac
And for the future of MLS? If you are the ward clerk or bishop, take a peek here at the beta LDS.org, which will allow you to print roles and birthday lists easier, right now, and from home! Seems to be a major re-working of the way we will do all these tasks and much more. Sign in under "leaders (stake president, bishop, clerk) resources," with your LDS account info, and look at the "reports and forms" tab. (you'll need to be called as a clerk, i think).

eblood66 wrote:Unless something has changed very recently, you have to be either bishop or ward clerk. Counselors and assistant clerks don't have access.

Thank You for the clarification. While this is slightly off the original topic, their is a major reworking of MLS that will correct the issue brought up. I wasn't sure on the counselors or assistant clerks access. I am surprised the counselors don't have access, and at some point it seems everyone will have access to parts of it as their callings would require. I knew our Executive secretary didn't have access, as I hoped he would, as he deals with "bishops action and interview lists." These are on the beta site as well. I love the new emailing feature tied to the new beta directory accessed from beta LDS.ORG!

How do you print attendance rolls from the Clerk Resources? I can pull it up ok, but it will not print.....

zaneclark wrote:How do you print attendance rolls from the Clerk Resources? I can pull it up ok, but it will not print.....

I can answer my own question... ( I do this a lot.) I tried first with Safari, then Firefox, with no success, but Google Chrome worked beautifully! I sent the reports I needed, including a birthday list, to a very happy RS secretary just now.

When you need to print an attendance roll for a class or an organization (like Relief Society) and you are using a home computer instead of a phone, you can log in to churchofjesuschrist.org and go to https://lcr.churchofjesuschrist.org/rep ... s?lang=eng
From there you can choose which organization and click the blue Print button, which will generate a roll for the current quarter.