Voting App — User & Admin Guide

This guide explains how to set up, manage, and run votes using the SmartLinks Voting App. It's written for brand managers, event organisers, and admins — no technical knowledge required.

Overview

The Voting App lets you create polls and votes attached to your digital twin products. Customers scan or visit a product page and cast their vote — you see results in real time.

What you can do:

• Create single-choice polls ("Pick one option")
• Create weighted polls ("Allocate 10 votes across options")
• Set open/close dates so voting runs on a schedule
• Restrict voting to one vote per person, or allow repeat voting
• Use proof-based voting where each physical item gets one vote
• Display live results on a TV screen for events

Getting Started

Accessing the Admin Dashboard

Open the admin interface by navigating to the admin URL provided by your SmartLinks portal. You'll see the Vote Management Dashboard showing all your votes organised by status: Open, Upcoming, and Closed.

Creating Your First Vote

1. Click Create New Vote in the top-right corner.
2. Fill in the form:
   • Title — The name voters will see (e.g. "Best New Flavour").
   • Description — A short explanation of what the vote is about.
   • Rich Content (optional) — Add formatted text, images, or graphics to the vote page using the rich text editor.
   • Open Date — When voting starts. Voters cannot cast votes before this time.
   • Close Date — When voting ends. No votes are accepted after this time.
   • Choices — Add at least two options. Each choice has a label and a colour (used in the results chart).
3. Click Save to publish the vote.

Your vote is now live (or scheduled, if the open date is in the future).

Voting Types

Single-Choice Voting

The default. Each voter picks one option. Simple and clear — great for "favourite" polls, audience picks, and quick decisions.

Weighted Voting

Each voter receives a budget of votes (e.g. 10) and distributes them across choices however they like. Useful when you want to measure strength of preference, not just first choice.

To enable weighted voting:

1. Set Voting Type to "Weighted" when creating or editing a vote.
2. Set Total Votes Per User to the budget each voter receives (e.g. 10).

Proof-Based Voting

Each physical product (proof) gets one vote. Voters must enter their proof ID to cast a vote. This prevents ballot-stuffing and ties votes directly to product ownership.

To enable proof-based voting:

1. Set Voting Limit Type to "Proof" when creating or editing a vote.
2. Voters will be prompted to enter their proof ID before voting.

Managing Votes

Editing a Vote

From the dashboard, click the pencil icon next to any vote to open the edit form. You can change the title, description, dates, and choices at any time — even while the vote is open.

Tip: Changing choices on an open vote won't affect votes already cast, but new voters will see the updated options.

Deleting a Vote

Click the bin icon next to a vote. You'll be asked to confirm. Deleting a vote removes the configuration permanently — votes already cast remain in the system but are no longer displayed.

Viewing Results

Click the eye icon to open the public vote page, which shows the current results chart. Results update in real time (every 3 seconds).

TV Display Mode

The TV display mode shows live results on a large screen — perfect for events, conferences, and in-store displays.

Opening TV Mode

From the dashboard, click the TV icon next to any vote. A new browser tab opens with a full-screen results display optimised for large screens.

What's Shown

• Vote title and description
• Real-time bar or grid chart of results
• Total vote count
• Auto-refreshing every few seconds

Tips for Events

• Use a browser in full-screen mode (press F11) for the cleanest look.
• The display works on any screen — TV, projector, or monitor.
• Results update automatically; no need to refresh the page.
• You can toggle between bar chart and grid views.

How Voters Use the App

Casting a Vote

1. The voter opens the voting page (via a product scan, link, or QR code).
2. They see the vote title, description, and any rich content.
3. They select their choice and click to submit.
4. A confirmation message appears: "Thank you for voting!"

Multiple Votes

If Allow Multiple Votes is enabled, voters can return and vote again. Otherwise, they'll see a "Thank you" message and the results chart after their first vote.

Weighted Voting (Voter Experience)

1. The voter sees all choices with allocation sliders or inputs.
2. They distribute their vote budget across choices.
3. They submit all allocations at once.
4. The system records each allocation as a separate vote event.

Settings Reference

Bulk Import

If you need to create many votes at once (e.g. for a product range), you can use the CSV import feature via the SmartLinks admin console.

CSV Format

productId,title,description,openDate,closeDate,votingType,totalVotesPerUser,allowMultipleVotes,choices
prod_abc123,Best Feature Vote,Vote for your favourite,2025-03-01T00:00:00Z,2025-03-31T23:59:59Z,single,1,false,Dark Mode|Mobile App|API Access
prod_def456,Colour Preference,Pick your favourite colour,2025-04-01T00:00:00Z,2025-04-15T23:59:59Z,weighted,10,false,Red|Blue|Green|Yellow

• Choices are separated by | (pipe character).
• Dates must be in ISO 8601 format.
• Each row creates one vote attached to the specified product.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Why can't voters see my vote?

• Check that the Open Date has passed. Votes with a future open date show as "Upcoming" and are not visible to public users.
• Verify the vote is attached to the correct collection and product.

Why does the results chart show zero votes?

• Ensure voters are accessing the correct vote URL with the right voteId parameter.
• Check that the vote status is "Open" — closed votes still show results but don't accept new votes.

Can I re-open a closed vote?

Yes — edit the vote and change the Close Date to a future date/time.

Can I change choices after people have voted?

You can add new choices or rename existing ones. Votes already cast are linked to the choice ID (not the label), so renaming a choice won't lose existing votes. Removing a choice will hide it from the results but won't delete the underlying vote data.

How do I prevent people from voting twice?

• Default (device-based): The system tracks whether a browser has already voted. This works for casual polls but can be bypassed by using a different browser or device.
• Proof-based: Each proof ID can only vote once. This is the most reliable method for product-linked voting.

What happens when a vote closes?

• No new votes are accepted.
• Results remain visible to anyone with the link.
• The vote moves to the "Closed" section in the admin dashboard.
• You can still view TV mode for closed votes.