For a user, forms on websites can be a frustrating exercise. Theyrequire information they don't want to give. They contain confusingchoices. The user is forever unsure as to whether it's even worthfilling them in...
By following a few rules of thumb, designersand developers can make things much easier for the people using theirforms, and thereby enhance the likelihood that somebody will order formtheir site or sign up for their service..
In this tutorial we'lllook at some methods and techniques to help your produce quality webforms, split across the following areas:
- Clarity
- Flexibility
- Accessibility
- and a brief note about another area to consider:
Legality
Clarity
Thefirst key element of a form is clarity. People like forms that areclear in what they ask for and easy to understand. Be specific in whatyou ask for, be unambiguous in the data you need and the navigationmethod. If at all possible test your forms with a selection of realpeople (as opposed to web-savvy developers) before releasing them tothe public.
There are a number of rules of thumb that can aid you here:
Ask for what you need
Usersdon't mind giving information. They do mind giving more informationthan is necessary. When designing your form, avoid the temptation toask for extraneous information. Keep on-topic as much as possible. Agood question to ask is "would I be willing to give this information toan unknown, untested, site?"
Decide what information you'reasking for before your begin designing your form. Then take a long hardlook at that list. Which information is duplicated? Which is vaguelydefined? Which information do you already have? For example, if theperson filling in your form will always be an existing site member, youmay already have their personal information already. Maybe you can addmembership so you don't have to keep asking people for the information?
Thisrule is especially true of mandatory fields, since non-compulsoryfields can be ignored if the user doesn't want you to have thatinformation. Be clear why the information is needed, and people don'tmind giving it. It's worth using your form labels to clarify why..
Group Logically!
Ifyou ask for information, group similar kinds of information together.Take the list of items you made for your form and group like itemstogether. So if you ask for name, age and contact details, group themtogether as "personal information". Fieldset HTML elements are forexactly this purpose.
A typical e-commerce form might ask for:
- ? Order Information
- ? Delivery Information
- ? Payment information
- ? Confirmation
Evenbetter that making the choice yourself, if you have the time, write theitems into cards and get a prospective user to put them in piles thatseem logical groups. Repeat this with a large enough sample group andyou can be more sure that the grouping are logical across a largerspectrum than your own opinion.
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