Skip to content
Effortmark: Better forms and surveys (logo)

Effortmark

Better forms and surveys

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Training
  • Speaking
  • Forms
  • Surveys
  • Design
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact me

Author: Jane Matthews

How I got started in forms and usability

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 25 May 2010
How I got started in forms and usability

These slides are from a presentation I made as part of the Usability Fundamentals Panel at the  UPA2010 conference, held in Munich in May. Getting started in forms and usability, UPA Munich 2010 from Caroline Jarrett

Embedded links and online reading accessibility

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 20 May 2010
Embedded links and online reading accessibility

At the 2010 Society for Technical Communication conference in Dallas, Whitney Quesenbery and I were interviewed about the feasibility of removing links embedded directly within paragraphs. These have been described as “exit points” that confuse and disorient low-literacy readers. The interview wasContinue reading… Embedded links and online reading accessibility

Label placement in forms and other time-consuming forms controversies

Jane Matthews 19 March 2020 17 May 2010
Label placement in forms and other time-consuming forms controversies

A presentation on Label placement in forms, at the Technical Communication Summit, the 56th Annual Conference of the Society for Technical Communication, Dallas, US, May 2010. Amongst the time-consuming controversies we look at are left and right alignment, labels aboveContinue reading… Label placement in forms and other time-consuming forms controversies

Avoid putting a reset button on your web forms

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 12 April 2010
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

Jane Matthews 20 March 2020 11 April 2010
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

Search is now normal behaviour – what do we do about that?

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 30 November 2009
Search is now normal behaviour – what do we do about that?

What information do visitors search for? What are “good” search results? What are the differences between internal search and external? How do users interact with the Google results page? And what does all of this mean for website design? ReportingContinue reading… Search is now normal behaviour – what do we do about that?

Helping a user choose from a very large list

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 10 November 2009
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

Questions about forms

Jane Matthews 3 February 2021 10 November 2009
Questions about forms

This selection of questions and answers about forms first appeared on the website to accompany my book (with Gerry Gaffney) Forms That Work: designing web forms for usability. We’d thought of calling the section “Frequently Asked Questions” but we thought weContinue reading… Questions about forms

Can I use an asterix to indicate optional fields?

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 10 October 2009
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?

Using measurements to develop complex websites

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 31 July 2009
Using measurements to develop complex websites

If you are developing a complex website whose users will come to it to carry out complex tasks then you’re likely to want to use a range of data to support your decision-making. This was the situation when I wasContinue reading… Using measurements to develop complex websites

Posts pagination

Previous Page 1 … Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 … Page 16 Next

Primary Sidebar

Latest Blog Posts

  • Book review: Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data13 August 2025
    ‘Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data’ is an eclectic collection ofContinue reading... Book review: Numbers and Nerves: Information, emotion and meaning in a world of data
  • Error rates and data quality – my 2025 topic11 August 2025
    In 2025, I’m focusing on error rates and data quality. My plan is to update this postContinue reading... Error rates and data quality – my 2025 topic
  • Garbage in, garbage out: workshop at UX Connect Aarhus11 June 2025
    My theory is that to get the best out of any AI, it helps to start withContinue reading... Garbage in, garbage out: workshop at UX Connect Aarhus

RSS Feed

Footer Menu

  • Home
  • Training
  • Speaking
  • Forms
  • Surveys
  • Design
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact me

@ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License

Theme by Suri