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Tag: better forms

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

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

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?

Usable forms

Jane Matthews 20 March 2020 28 July 2009
Usable forms

How can we design forms that are easier to read? In this presentation to the Media Trust I highlighted problems in both the ‘conversation’ and ‘appearance’ of some typical forms – and shared tips for improving the experience of users.Continue reading… Usable forms

Tom Johnson interviews Caroline about her new book, Forms that Work

Jane Matthews 15 February 2021 20 June 2009
Tom Johnson interviews Caroline about her new book, Forms that Work

In this podcast for Tom’s blog, I’d Rather Be Writing, I get to talk about my new book, Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability,  co-authored with Gerry Gaffney. We discuss  the perceived value users must feel in order to partContinue reading… Tom Johnson interviews Caroline about her new book, Forms that Work

Progressive disclosure: valid or sneaky?

Jane Matthews 3 December 2019 10 June 2009
Progressive disclosure: valid or sneaky?

Gianpiero (@gpiero on Twitter) asked: “What do you feel about progressive disclosure in forms? Valid or sneaky (considering you’re probably hiding a lot of fields)?” I’m a huge fan of progressive disclosure, provided it’s used in an honest way. Let meContinue reading… Progressive disclosure: valid or sneaky?

Dealing with international addresses

Jane Matthews 15 February 2021 10 March 2009
Dealing with international addresses

You’re working on an international website. What’s the best way to ask people from all over the world for their addresses?” Useful resources for international addresses Graham Rhind’s free ebook Better data quality from your web form is a thorough and thoughtfulContinue reading… Dealing with international addresses

Buttons on forms – where to put them, and what to call them

Jane Matthews 20 March 2020 31 August 2008
Buttons on forms – where to put them, and what to call them

Here’s a question that I get asked quite often: “Should we put ‘OK’ button to the left or the right of the ‘Cancel’ button?” A common variant is to ask the same question with ‘Back’ or ‘Previous’ instead of ‘Cancel’,Continue reading… Buttons on forms – where to put them, and what to call them

People before pixels: what to think about before you start

Caroline Jarrett 15 February 2021 2 May 2008
People before pixels: what to think about before you start

Luke Wroblewski asked me to contribute some thoughts to his book “Web form design: filling in the blanks”. Here’s what I wrote. I love forms, mostly because they offer so many opportunities for improvement. And I love discussing forms withContinue reading… People before pixels: what to think about before you start

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