MANUAL
Forms Management System: www.formdesk.com
 
 

Usability checklist for online forms
 
You use a form to collect information and you want the form to be filled in as frequently, as completely and as correctly as possible. When designing the form, keep in mind that most people filling out your form have limited time, patience and knowledge. So, it is important that your form is as short as possible, clear and well-organized. In other words, user-friendly. Following, you will find ten tips to improve the user-friendliness of your Formdesk form, which will contribute to
  • a response as high as possible;
  • a high-quality response;
  • a pleasant and professional impression.

 
 

1 Ask questions about general information at the end of the form
Questions about general information are questions that do not contribute directly to the purpose of the form, such as address data. Ask yourself, what the reason is for someone to fill in your form and start your form with the relevant questions. In this way you will encourage the user to complete the form and prevent general questions to raise a barrier causing the user to give up. As a result, you will receive fewer incomplete applications and thus a greater response.
 

2 Exercise restraint with questions that require input
Render only those questions obligatory which are essential to complete the transaction. For example, to wind up an application, it is not always necessary for someone to answer the question "How did you arrive at our site?". Users who want to answer this question, will do so, whether it is an obligation or not. Users who do not wish to do so, will choose an answer at random. This will cause results to be unreliable. Moreover, the last mentioned user group may consider this a nuisance and give up.
 

3 Classify your questions
A form with a large number of questions about different subjects without any classification will look cluttered. Classify your questions by subject with an extra space or line between the sections and name each section separately. Use the Formdesk tools for alignment to tidily align each section of questions. Not only will this contribute to a well-organized layout of your form, but it also takes care of a neat classification of the copy of the completed form, e.g. in the notification message.
 

4 Use popups for explanations.
Do not overload the form with explanation texts, put a help icon for the question instead. Ideally, when someone places the mouse over this help icon, the explanation menu pops up automatically. This way, the user can make his own decision whether he needs more information or not. Your form will look restful, well-organized and less long.
 

5 Phrase your questions in few words
If possible, use only the exploratory words in the question. Consider if any words could be left out. Usually, if your question ends with a question mark, it is too long. For example, the question "What is your partner’s name?" could be shortened to "Partner’s name" or "Name partner". If it is difficult for you to explain how exactly the question should be answered, a sample answer is often more helpful than several lines of explanation.

6 Use a fixed height for multi-page forms
If you divide your form in pages, use for each page a fixed height and preferably a fixed width as well. As a result, the buttons at the bottom of your form will have a fixed position on the screen. The form will look more restful, enabling the user to focus on the completion of your form.
 

7 Carefully choose a question type for multiple-choice questions where only one answer is required
Such a question can be created in two ways:
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
Choose either one, but decide consciously. A section of radio buttons show all the options at the same time, so the user can select one with a single mouse click. However, if there are many options, the form can look cluttered and disorganized. Your form will be kept tidy and short when you use an pull-down listbox, but this will require two mouse clicks to make a choice. If there are many options to choose from, use a pull-down listbox, for example if you ask for a country, but do not use it when you ask for the title. If it must be possible for the user to give a neutral answer, include option “none”, because when radio buttons are used, the user always has to select an option.
 

8 Hide non-relevant questions
By hiding or locking questions selectively, you are able to show the users only those questions that are relevant for them. This promotes the user’s attention to the relevant questions, a speedily completion of the form and the quality of the answers.
 

9 Offer the opportunity to save the form and finish later
Many incomplete applications are the result of interuptions at the user’s side. A telephone is ringing, information needed for answers has to be checked or asked for, etcetera. If the user has to start all over again, this is often a reason not to return to the form at all. The user may forget the URL or find it too much work. By offering the possibility to save the form entries, the user can return to the form without the need to start all over again. The link and access code to the unfinished form will be sent to the user by email. This will increase the response to your form.
 

10 Show a confirmation screen
If the form is long or complicated, it is recommended to ask for a confirmation before the form is completed, especially when the form consists of a number of pages. Make sure to mention the main details of the form in this confirmation. This way the number of faulty entries can be minimized and the user will be confident and certain.
 

Standard Formdesk usability credits
Each Formdesk form includes the following usability promoting behaviors:
  • Click on the description of the option of a multiple-choice question to select this option
  • When leaving the form a warning message is shown if the user already has started filling in the form
  • During the build-up of the form a ‘please wait’ sign and a progress indicator are shown
  • In case of an invalid answer, Formdesk makes the related answer section blink 3 times and sets the focus to the answer
  • Date fields are supported by a calendar
  • A character counter is shown if you limit the number of characters allowed in a multi-line text field.