CDF - Types of Web Forms Lesson

 

Types of Web Forms Lesson

Web Forms

There are a multitude of forms that visitors access and complete as they frequent websites. You might be surprised to know that web forms can be categorized into two types.  Forms used for E-commerce, technical support, and feedback are designed to obtain data from the user. This type of form would fall under the category of data collection. The other category is search. When you access a website and search for a topic, you are benefitting from this type of form.

As a web designer, you will need to determine which type of form you need to create and what type of data needs to be included to meet the form type. The data will drive the form elements that you decide to use as you construct the form in HTML. After you determine the form type and the data needed, you need to begin to think about how you will design your form to ensure visitors do not have any difficulties completing the form.

 

Best Practices for User-Friendly Forms

Best Practices for User-Friendly Forms Image While learning about creating web forms, Joanna (pictured) has found the following tips helpful for creating user-friendly forms: --Provide clear instructions about the data needed and the format it needs to be entered. For example, if you include a date input type, you might want to share that the date needs to be entered as mm.dd.yy. --Consider using field width and character limits to provide clue so that the user will know that a credit card field would contain 16 characters xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. --Group the fields in a format that would make it easy for individuals to complete the form. Begin with general prompts first followed by complex inquiries. End the survey with additional general questions. --Mark required fields by applying bold formatting, change of font color, or include an asterisk by the field. --Provide understandable feedback that can be viewed if a user enters data incorrectly. A novice user would not be able to interpret a message that includes a 404 error. --Include clear details about the purpose of the form, how the information will be used, when to expect feedback, and/or what information might be needed to complete the form. This will answer many question the individual might have prior to completing the form.

Click here to learn more about HTML forms. Links to an external site.

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