Forms That Work - Designing Web Forms for Usability

Klappentext If offered a choice, most people would avoid using forms. For most of us that choice isn't available. We use forms countless times daily - both at work and at home. The hassles and frustration involved with errors messages, unnecessary required fields, and reentering information can make or break a users perception of a company (both from the support and supply side). Usable forms are more important than ever, with the unprecedented number of online transactions, online and form based business to business and business to customer tracking and communication. Creating Forms that works focuses on nothing but forms and how to design them effectively and efficiently. From gathering for the right information, to making questions easy to answer, to layout, to usability testing -- this book covers all the fundamentals of form design. And in the process aids in making all of our lives a little easier. Zusammenfassung Explains how to design forms for the web. This work helps readers learn how to define requirements! how to write questions that users will understand and want to answer! and how to deal with instructions! progress indicators and errors. It includes examples - from nitty-gritty details (mandatory fields) to visual designs (creating good grids). Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction: What is a form? What is a form? 1. Persuading people to answer Pick the right moment to ask a question Think about relationship question by question Follow three rules that that influence response rates Think about who will answer your questions Summary Interlude: Registration forms: rules and suggestions 2. Gathering the right information Find out why you need the information Check if your organization already holds the information Find out what others ask for Summary: only ask for information that you need Case study: conference registration form 3. Making questions easy to answer How questions work Make it easy to understand the question Make it easy to find the answer Judging the answer: avoiding privacy errors Placing the answer: avoiding category errors Summary: writing questions Case study: avoiding choice points 4. Writing instructions Writing instructions Rewriting instructions in plain language Cut the instructions that aren't needed Move the instructions to where they are needed A before- and after- example Summary: Writing instructions Interlude: help for forms 5. Choosing between drop-downs and other controls Picking controls for your forms How users expect controls to work Use these six questions to choose the right control Specialist controls may help Think about the form as a whole Summary: Providing the answer Interlude: names and addresses 6. Making the form flow easily Make the form flow easily Use progress indicators Avoid surprising users with sudden changes Be gentle with errors Say 'thanks' to close the conversation Conversational flow - summary Interlude: why we hate pop-ups 7. Taking care of the details Taking care of the details Where to put the labels compared to the fields Colons at the end of labels? Sentence or title case for labels? How to indicate required fields Choosing legible text: fonts and words Summary Interlude: serif or sans-serif 8. Making the form look easy What makes a form look good Make sure users know who you are: logos and branding Make your form look tidy with grids Make it look organized with grouping Avoid two-column forms Summary Case study: an appearance makeover 9. Testing (the best bit) We're passionate about usability testing How to do really good usability testing of forms Final message from this book Appendices Sugg...

List of contents

Introduction: What is a form?
What is a form?
1. Persuading people to answer
Pick the right moment to ask a question
Think about relationship question by question
Follow three rules that that influence response rates
Think about who will answer your questions
Summary
Interlude: Registration forms: rules and suggestions
2. Gathering the right information
Find out why you need the information
Check if your organization already holds the information
Find out what others ask for
Summary: only ask for information that you need
Case study: conference registration form
3. Making questions easy to answer
How questions work
Make it easy to understand the question
Make it easy to find the answer
Judging the answer: avoiding privacy errors
Placing the answer: avoiding category errors
Summary: writing questions
Case study: avoiding choice points
4. Writing instructions
Writing instructions
Rewriting instructions in plain language
Cut the instructions that aren't needed
Move the instructions to where they are needed
A before- and after- example
Summary: Writing instructions
Interlude: help for forms
5. Choosing between drop-downs and other controls
Picking controls for your forms
How users expect controls to work
Use these six questions to choose the right control
Specialist controls may help
Think about the form as a whole
Summary: Providing the answer
Interlude: names and addresses
6. Making the form flow easily
Make the form flow easily
Use progress indicators
Avoid surprising users with sudden changes
Be gentle with errors
Say 'thanks' to close the conversation
Conversational flow - summary
Interlude: why we hate pop-ups
7. Taking care of the details
Taking care of the details
Where to put the labels compared to the fields
Colons at the end of labels?
Sentence or title case for labels?
How to indicate required fields
Choosing legible text: fonts and words
Summary
Interlude: serif or sans-serif
8. Making the form look easy
What makes a form look good
Make sure users know who you are: logos and branding
Make your form look tidy with grids
Make it look organized with grouping
Avoid two-column forms
Summary
Case study: an appearance makeover
9. Testing (the best bit)
We're passionate about usability testing
How to do really good usability testing of forms
Final message from this book
Appendices
Suggestions for further reading
References
Acknowledgements

Report

"The humble form: it may seem boring, but most of your website's value passes through forms. Follow Jarrett & Gaffney's guidelines, and you'll probably double your online profits.” --Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group

"This book isn't just about colons and choosing the right widgets. It's about the whole process of making good forms, which has a lot more to do with making sure you're asking the right questions in a way that your users can answer than it does with whether you use a drop-down list or radio buttons.” --Steve Krug, Foreword author and author of the best selling Don't Make me Think

"If your web site includes forms, you need this book. It's that simple. In an easy-to-read format with lots of examples, Caroline and Gerry present their three-layer model -- relationship, conversation, appearance. You need all three for a successful form -- a form that looks good, flows well, asks the right questions in the right way, and, most important of all, gets people to fill it out.” --Janice (Ginny) Redish, author of Letting Go of the Words -- Writing Web Content that Works

Product details

• Authors: Gerry Gaffney, Gerry (Information Design and Proprietary Ltd Gaffney, Gaffney Gerry, Jarrett, Caroline Jarrett, Caroline (Effortmark Ltd Jarrett, Caroline Gaffney Jarrett, Jarrett Caroline
• Assisted by: Krug Steve (Foreword)
• Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 07.11.2008
• EAN: 9781558607101
• ISBN: 978-1-55860-710-1
• No. of pages: 288
• Dimensions: 190 mm x 235 mm x 13 mm
• Series: Interactive Technologies; Interactive Technologies; Morgan Kaufmann Series in Inte
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business; COMPUTERS / User Interfaces, User interface design & usability, Web graphics and design, Web graphics & design, COMPUTERS / Internet / Web Design, User interface design and usability