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Category: Forms

The piece of HTML created just for me: Reset

Caroline Jarrett 12 December 2019 29 September 2004
The piece of HTML created just for me: 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 nice of the authors to includeContinue reading… The piece of HTML created just for me: Reset

How not to get a job in usability

Jane Matthews 12 December 2019 31 July 2004
How not to get a job in usability

Way back in 1982, a powerful television series called Boys from the Blackstuff added a new catchphrase to the British vocabulary: “gizza job”. A key character, Yosser Hughes, had a torrid time trying to find a job in Liverpool duringContinue reading… How not to get a job in usability

It’s time to make a bigger pond

Jane Matthews 12 December 2019 28 February 2004
It’s time to make a bigger pond

“Very short sessions on usability testing could be bad for the profession”. It was another of those discussions that I have from time to time, where I know that we’re not going to reach an agreement but I’m trying toContinue reading… It’s time to make a bigger pond

“We’ll never get this past legal”

Jane Matthews 12 December 2019 29 July 2003
“We’ll never get this past legal”

The other day I was trying to persuade someone to kill off a paragraph of the purest, most incomprehensible gobbledegook. Although she agreed that there was no merit in the paragraph, she rejected my suggestion with that depressing but commonContinue reading… “We’ll never get this past legal”

The value of ‘other’: other countries, other choices

Jane Matthews 12 December 2019 12 May 2003
The value of ‘other’: other countries, other choices

Yesterday I was scrolling down yet another list of countries – must have been over 150 of them. There’s always a slight frisson to the game for me: will I find United Kingdom? Or perhaps I’ll be offered England, ScotlandContinue reading… The value of ‘other’: other countries, other choices

Making web forms easy to fill in

Jane Matthews 24 August 2023 22 March 2003
Making web forms easy to fill in

Introduction and definitions What is a form? BFMA has its own definition, but for this tutorial I am going to propose one that looks at a form from the point of view of the person who fills it in –Continue reading… Making web forms easy to fill in

Back-to-front and inside-out estimating of testing

Jane Matthews 24 August 2023 28 February 2003
Back-to-front and inside-out estimating of testing

How to estimate the time needed for a usability test? One of my favourite lists was discussing this recently. Formulae were proposed, variables discussed, and weighting factors considered. I was torn somewhere between a wry smile and an attack ofContinue reading… Back-to-front and inside-out estimating of testing

Improving usability: case study of Inland Revenue Employer’s Pack

Jane Matthews 24 August 2023 18 August 2002
Improving usability: case study of Inland Revenue Employer’s Pack

This presentation, given to the 49th Society for Technical Communication Conference in Nashville, USA, offers an overview of my work with the UK Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue and Customs). It records some our findings on usability, and the changes we made as aContinue reading… Improving usability: case study of Inland Revenue Employer’s Pack

Should I use a drop-down? Four steps for choosing form elements on the web

Caroline Jarrett 9 July 2023 25 October 2001
Should I use a drop-down? Four steps for choosing form elements on the web

No. Don’t use a drop-down. Updated in 2023. Back in 2001, Sarah Allen and I wrote this paper, and I delivered it at the  48th Society for Technical Communication Conference in Chicago, Illinois. We had done plenty of testing ofContinue reading… Should I use a drop-down? Four steps for choosing form elements on the web

Why users don’t complain about bad forms

Caroline Jarrett 24 August 2023 27 January 2001
Why users don’t complain about bad forms

Originally written in response to the Florida vote controversy in the US 2000 presidential election, here are plenty of reasons why you may never know that users are struggling with your form. This article first appeared in January 2001 in UserContinue reading… Why users don’t complain about bad forms

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