  This article was originally posted in the October 2004 issue (Vol 11, No. 2) Usability University is a series of talks and training courses in Washington DC sponsored by the GSA and Department of Health and Human Services.
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STC Usability SIG Newsletter |
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| Usability Interface |
Tutorial Review:
"Moving Forms to the
Web"
Presented at Usability University, Washington DC
by Caroline Jarrett, Effortmark
Review by Allen Rotz
Ten hours might seem like a lot of time for a course titled Moving Forms to the Web, but the time flew by for me. And, even though the thought of forms does not excite interest in most, discussions were lively and ideas bounced back and forth.
This was the second and more extensive offering of the Usability University, following a talk presented in June 2004. In this brief article it is impossible to give an adequate summary of this course. Listed below are some of the information resources used to develop this course. They provide insight to the process of putting forms on the web.
Many of the advantages of putting a form on the web are obvious. Merely moving an existing paper-based process to an electronic clone is unlikely to result in the maximum benefits of a well designed electronic system. Moving forms to the web provides both the opportunity and the justification for performing an analysis of user requirements to rethink the business process. Reengineering the business process should go hand-in-hand with designing new online forms.
Often the full benefits of technology will only be realized by restructuring the process. Usability professionals should be part of the team analyzing and redesigning the process. This is an opportunity to educate management in how usability plays a role in all aspects of business.
References
www.redish.net/content/talks/MovingFormstotheWeb.pdf
"Difficult Forms: How Government Agencies Interact with Citizens" www.nao.org.uk/pn/02-03/02031145.htm
Wendy Stein, Filling Out Forms (Syracuse, New York: New Readers Press, 1986).
Don Dillman, Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000)
Roger Tourangeau, Lance J. Rips, and Kenneth Rasinski, The Psychology of Survey Response (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)
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