Usability Factors

Forms are used on almost every web page that a user visits. Anywhere from entering in a user name and password to check email, and to filling out a job application. "Obsolete paper forms can be replaced by HTML forms, or Web forms on the Internet. HTML forms are quickly replacing paper forms as a more efficient and timely medium to expedite communication. Businesses and organizations slow to adapt are greatly at a disadvantage (Business)." Forms save time and money and the usability of these forms only increase the time and money saved. The quicker and easier a form is filled out, the faster that information can be processed.

Forms have always been fairly user friendly even before they were used online. Every entry field is clearly labeled as to what needs to be inputted. The layout of these forms is what makes the usability better. Typography and good design play a very important part into what makes a good user-friendly form.

A web site that has a form and just list it out for the user to enter information and just scroll and scroll is not as easy as a couple of fields on a page with a next button that goes to another page with more information. Forms set up this way are easier to read and prevent the user from entering the wrong information or getting bored. Take eBay for example. It does not take a rocket scientist to sell something on eBay. The site breaks it down into simple pages that ask exactly what you are trying to sell. When a user fills out a page the form is saved before moving on to the next page. This feature is what makes modern form usability so friendly. Since the user is logged in the form can be saved incase of a crash or if the user needs to leave the computer for an extended amount of time.

Many forms have become easier to use online. If a person is looking online for a form and it involves too much it can scare a person off. During the early phases of the Internet forms were in PDF format and all the user could do was open it and fill it out them selves then print it and turn it back in by mail or in person. There are still a number of web sites that do this. The past couple of years forms have become faster and easier to use. A user can go to a site, fill out the required information and send it back to the company. Submission of the form is almost immediate, especially if the information is going to be posted on that site. Going back to eBay; if someone would like to sell an item on eBay the seller fills out the form and when the user submits, the information that was just inputted into the form is automatically posted online for other viewers.

Technology is only getting better and this will help out in the usability of forms. Currently there are a couple of programs that help out companies and users with the use of forms. When a company is requesting information online and they are not quite sure how to layout their form it can make it difficult to fill out. Some of the current software helps company's layout these forms so the users can fill it out in a breeze. The title of the input fields should be bolder than the rest of the copy on the page. This helps the user find the areas where they should be filling out information. There are also companies that help other companies set up forms and receive the information faster. User feed back is a big usability issue as well. When a user fills out a form online they always want to know immediately that the information was sent to the proper place. If the company can receive that information quicker then they can notify the user.

Works Cited

Business Forms for Business Use. 2006. CreateonlineForms.com. February 2007. http://www.createonlineforms.com/