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Open Source Development Labs (OSDL—now the Linux Foundation) wanted to provide the capability for people to apply online for a license to use the Linux trademark. The process needed to be as straightforward and foolproof as possible, using a sequence of Web pages to gather information. Each specific sequence depended on the how prior questions were answered.
Our code was designed not only to collect the information, but was structured so that new questions and even entire steps could be quickly added and removed—this feature allowed us to be very responsive to the changes OSDL requested. Our design included visual signposts so applicants would always have a clear idea of their progress.
We also provided a set of administrator's pages so OSDL could view the collected information and either approve or deny it. The interface uses special coding techniques to reduce the need to load new pages when making a set of changes to a group of applications, and it also allows OSDL to search for applications using just about any field or combination of fields.