Form Usability
-
Upload
baris-erkol -
Category
Design
-
view
270 -
download
1
Transcript of Form Usability
T E S T D E S I G N
.have a conversationWhen a stranger who asks us: “What’s your
name?” “What’s your address?” “What’s your
email address?” “What’s your birth date?” we
find ourselves asking: “Who is this person?”
“Why does he (or she) need all this
information?” “Why am I telling him (or her) all
this?”
!Quite quickly, we become uneasy and wish the
stranger would tell us something about himself
or herself instead of barraging us with
questions.
Luke Wroblewski. “Web Form Design: Filling in
the Blanks.”
T E S T D E S I G N
Part of providing a clear path to
completion is telling people
what form they are on and what
they can accomplish by filling it
out. As people are unlikely to
read a detailed description of
what each form they encounter
does, this burden mostly falls
on the form’s title.
.name the formProvide a clear path to completion
T E S T D E S I G N
.clear scan linesEye-tracking data for a simple form that highlights the
importance of a clear scan line. In this example, the strong
vertical axis of labels, input fields, and a primary action button
provides a single path through the form. This allows people to
respond quickly to questions and complete their task with a
minimum number of diversions.
Allow people to respond quickly to questions
T E S T D E S I G N
.minimal distractionsTo keep people focused on completing a form,
you also should consider which web site elements
help illuminate a clear path to completion and
which elements distract from it.
!Even though the consistent navigation, header or
promotions that make your web site great are
appropriate on most of your site’s pages, they may
not be appropriate on your forms. These
additional elements can be a distraction at best
and a detour at worst, particularly for critical forms
like checkout in ecommerce sites or registration in
social applications.
Keep people focused on completing a form
T E S T D E S I G N
.progress indicatorWhile it’s certainly a good idea to let
people know how far along in a process
they are, you need to be wary of
progress indicators that incorrectly
represent the number of Web pages or
steps required to complete a form. An
all too common practice for forms
spanning multiple Web pages is the
inclusion of a progress indicator that
does not accurately mirror the number
of pages a form requires.
Let people know how far along in a process they are.
T E S T D E S I G N
.labelslabels within inputs
Labels within fields need to go away when people
are entering their answer into an input field, the
context for the answer is gone.
!So if you suddenly forget what question you're
answering, tough luck—the label is nowhere to
be found. !
!When you're done filling in the form, all the labels
are gone! That makes it a bit hard to go back and
check your answers.
!Single-question forms (like a search box), forms
with just a couple inputs, or forms asking for very
familiar data (like an address book) are much
better candidates.
T E S T D E S I G N
.actions in progressLet's assume that you've answered all the questions
on a form correctly and selected the primary action
to signify you're done. Then what? If nothing
changes, perhaps the site didn't register your click.
Is your information being processed? When in
doubt, most people will try again.
!Depending on how a form is developed, this may
lead to a duplicate submission. Now you've done
what you were trying to accomplish twice!
Is your information being processed?
T E S T D E S I G N
There is an opportunities to
provide a cleaner path to
completion. Instead of a
separate question to address
the terms of service, the
primary action can cover both
the terms of service
agreement and form
completion.
.agree and submitProvide a cleaner path to completion.
T E S T D E S I G N
.help textHelp text can also be problematic because people
tend not to read instructions presented onscreen.
Relying on a set of instructions to explain your form
will lead to trouble when those instructions are
bypassed by most people.
!In fact, eye-tracking research shows that many
people jump directly to the first input field when
presented with a form. It seems to be a natural
tendency to want to start filling things in. We just
want to get this form done and move on!
Many people jump directly to the first input field.
T E S T D E S I G N
.help text
- When forms ask for unfamiliar data: What's a PAC code?!- When people question why they are being asked for specific data: Why do you need to know my date of birth?!- When people may be concerned about the security or privacy of their data: Is my credit card number safe
here?!- When there are recommended ways of providing data: Separate your tags with commas, please. - When asking for sensitive information, consider including actionable help text that allows people to confirm that
their information is safe.
The cases when instructional text is appropriate.
T E S T D E S I G N
.automatic inline helpAutomatic inline help systems reveal themselves when and where the information they contain is most applicable. For example, when a person clicks or tabs to an input field, the relevant help text appears beside or below the input.
On Wufoo, help text is automatically shown as people engage with input fields.
T E S T D E S I G N
.user activated inline helpUser-activated inline help lets people explicitly
access help text when they need it. This method
usually makes consistent use of an icon, button,
image, or text link to let people know help is
available.
A person can either click or point to these triggers
to reveal relevant help text as needed.
Triggers for user-activated help text, such as icons, links, or buttons, should be placed next to labels and not input fields.
T E S T D E S I G N
.error messages
Of course, we want to minimize the potential for these types of errors as much as we can but when mistakes do happen, we should be prepared to deal with them quickly and gracefully.
Step one for dealing with errors is letting people know they happened.
When present, an error message is arguably the most important element on the page.
Before
After
Be prepared to deal with the errors quickly and gracefully.
T E S T D E S I G N
.success messageAlthough not as important as an error message, a success message should be noticeable enough to give people the quick praise they deserve. !The key difference between error and success messages, however, is that error messages cannot be ignored or dismissed—they must be addressed. !Success messages, on the other hand, should never block people’s progress—they should encourage more of it.
It may be appropriate to automatically remove success messages,
preferably with animation.
Give people the quick praise they deserve.
T E S T D E S I G N
.inline validationConsider using inline validation to confirm or suggest valid answers and to help people stay within limits.
When input limits exist, communicate their boundaries using real-time, dynamic updates.
T E S T D E S I G N
.build trustBe clear with what your terms mean.
One research study found that most terms of service agreements have between 1000-8000 words.http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~gte115v/wip0483-fieslerSC.pdf
http://lorrie.cranor.org/pubs/readingPolicyCost-authorDraft.pdf
A related research study estimates that the average user sees about 1462 privacy policies a year. If users read every privacy policy for each new site they visited, they would each spend about 244 hours per year to read them.
A survey shows only 7% of users read the full terms when signing up for online products and services. http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/may/11/terms-conditions-small-print-big-problems
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1837
.Mobile revenue (2014)
It was % 0 at 2012
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://j.mp/1gCCZM2
Hamburger Menu240.000UNIQUE MOBILE VISITORS
IT WAS TESTED ON
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://j.mp/1gCCZM2
Hamburger Menu
+7.2 % +22.4 %IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT
240.000UNIQUE MOBILE VISITORS
IT WAS TESTED ON
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://j.mp/1gCCZM2
Hamburger Menu240.000UNIQUE MOBILE VISITORS
IT WAS TESTED ON
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://j.mp/1gCCZM2
Hamburger Menu
+12.9 %IMPROVEMENT
+5.7 %IMPROVEMENT
-22.2 %IMPROVEMENT
240.000UNIQUE MOBILE VISITORS
IT WAS TESTED ON
T E S T D E S I G N
Source: http://j.mp/1gCCZM2
Hamburger Menu
+12.9 %IMPROVEMENT
+5.7 %IMPROVEMENT
-22.2 %IMPROVEMENT
240.000UNIQUE MOBILE VISITORS
IT WAS TESTED ON
T E S T D E S I G N
mobile screen
Help, error and success messages
.inline validationREALTIME FEEDBACK
T E S T D E S I G N
desktop screen
Help, error and success messages
Use inline text more effectively
.inline validationREALTIME FEEDBACK
T E S T D E S I G N
.3 field checkout form
DIGITAL CONTENT
TYPE E-MAIL
PAYMENT INFO
STAY ON KEYS
REDUCED CONTROLS
T E S T D E S I G N
.stepper
Instead of drop-down menu use stepper if possible
- Increase or decrease value by a constant amount. - To make small adjustments to a value.
T E S T D E S I G N
.stepper- Increase or decrease value by a constant amount. - To make small adjustments to a value.
Stepper: Only up to 8 guests
Drop-down menu
T E S T D E S I G N
.action sheet- use it for dialog or pop up instead of drop-down menu
Instead of drop-down menu use action sheet if possible
T E S T D E S I G N
.canvas menu- it works on web and mobile screens.
Instead of drop-down menu use canvas menu if possible
1 2