Caroline Jarrett discusses putting users first in your forms design by choosing to keep, cut, postpone or explain the questions you are asking.
Tag: forms design
Forms design: Gerry Gaffney interviews me
Gerry Gaffney gave me an opportunity to talk about forms in a podcast for UXpod. You can find the original on Uxpod. Transcript Caroline Jarrett: And you’ve got my permission to play this to whoever you like under whatever circumstances you like.Continue reading… Forms design: Gerry Gaffney interviews me
How to look at a form in a hurry, UPA 2006
Anyone who has heard or read more than one of my presentations will be familiar with my mantra: ‘test, test and test again’. It’s the only way to find our whether something really is usable, and yet we’re sometimes putContinue reading… How to look at a form in a hurry, UPA 2006
Two-column forms are best avoided
A concerned designer wrote to me: ‘Our forms are laid out in a single vertical column. A new project manager is pushing to get the forms for a new product to “look different from other products” by requesting a twoContinue reading… Two-column forms are best avoided
Hooray, I’m Doing the Forms!
Creating good forms involves good design and a clear conversation with your users, argues Caroline Jarrett
Making a better web form
Which usability changes make the biggest difference? Invited by LoanBright to review their forms, we were surprised by some of the results. Among the changes we tested – layout, wording of questions, addition of extra pages – the only one to make a significant differenceContinue reading… Making a better web form
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
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
Designing usable forms: the three-layer model of the form
A version of this paper was first delivered at the 47th Society for Technical Communication Conference in Florida. If you want to create a usable form, it helps to understand the three layers: appearance – what people see when theyContinue reading… Designing usable forms: the three-layer model of the form