Thanks to KANA Europe for inviting me to join their customer conference. This was the presentation I gave, on usability and forms. Usability and forms, KANA Europe customer summit from Caroline Jarrett #forms #formsthatwork #usability
Tag: better forms
The ‘back’ button: how to manage it on web-based forms
Developers are often concerned about what will happen in web-based forms when people use the ‘back’ button. For example, users may fill in part of a form, then click ‘back’, not realising they may lose the data they have justContinue reading… The ‘back’ button: how to manage it on web-based forms
Form assessment toolkit: a step in the right direction but misses the real issues
Records are crucial for government. Neil MacGregor, in his radio series A history of the world in 100 objects chose a government record – a Mesopotamian clay tablet – to describe the origin of writing, and explained that writing wasContinue reading… Form assessment toolkit: a step in the right direction but misses the real issues
Online forms: saving work or causing stress?
E-forms have benefits, but so do paper forms. To have a successful e-forms project, you need to choose the appropriate level of e-form. This 2010 talk to the International Professional Communication Conference also describes several indicators of e-forms project success.Continue reading… Online forms: saving work or causing stress?
The question protocol: how to make sure every form field is necessary
What is a question protocol? A question protocol is a tool for finding out which form fields are required. It lists: every question you ask who within your organisation uses the answers to each question what they use them forContinue reading… The question protocol: how to make sure every form field is necessary
Tips for designing complex forms, UPA2010
From tax returns to lasting power of attorney, some forms present both designers and users with a huge number of challenges. In this presentation to the 2010 Usability Professionals’ Association Conference, I highlight some of the pitfalls of designing complex forms –Continue reading… Tips for designing complex forms, UPA2010
Avoid putting a reset button on your web forms
The history of RESET HTML 2.0 appeared in 1995. At that time, I was working in usability of forms – and I still am. But I didn’t have email or an internet connection. So I think it was remarkably niceContinue reading… Avoid putting a reset button on your web forms
Label placement in forms – and other time-consuming controversies
A presentation on label placement in forms, for the Technical Communication Summit in Seattle, April 2010. Amongst the time-consuming controversies we look at are left and right alignment, labels above and below fields, how to handle required fields, colons, andContinue reading… Label placement in forms – and other time-consuming controversies
Helping a user choose from a very large list
Sometimes it is necessary for users to select a precise entry from a very large list. For example, one client described the need (for compliance purposes) to have users choose an ‘Occupation’ code from a list of almost 1000. SheContinue reading… Helping a user choose from a very large list
Can I use an asterix to indicate optional fields?
I was asked recently: ‘Our form has many required fields and few optional fields. We think that we should use an asterisk to indicate the optional fields. Do you agree?’ It makes sense but it is also a bad idea.Continue reading… Can I use an asterix to indicate optional fields?