Formulate Information Design

Judging forms

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000

Judging a form is about making an assessment of quality, usefulness and/or suitability.

Many people judge forms just by looking at them. This article demonstrates why this method of judging is lacking and suggests alternative approaches.

A beginner's guide to forms security

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:15:00 -0000

Here in Australia, 6 - 13 June 2008 is National E-Security Awareness Week. It seems like an apt time, therefore, for us to provide an overview of some key security issues for electronic forms, particularly those on the Web.

Results from original data tables study

Mon, 19 May 2008 10:00:00 -0000

A List Apart has published the results of our 2007 research into zebra striping. The findings may surprise you.

What is an electronic form?

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:10:00 -0000

We all know what a paper form is, partly because they've been around for an awfully long time. Electronic forms, on the other hand, are relatively new. Consequently, there is still plenty of confusion about what exactly an electronic form is.

Is electronic form synonymous with entering data using a computer? Does it include forms that are filled out on the Web? What if the form is just a snapshot of an existing paper form?

In this article, we explore the spectrum of different electronic form types and present a useful framework for describing just what is an electronic form.

Data tables follow-up study

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:28:41 -0000

Formulate Information Design is conducting a follow-up to our 2007 study on data table formatting.

We need your help—the more participants we get the greater the chance we can draw conclusions from the study that designers the world over can use.

The study is anonymous and takes less than 5 minutes.

(Update 15 June 2008: this study is now closed.)

Process

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:00:00 -0000

When people hear the term “form design”, they usually think about graphics and layout or questions and answers. What they don't often think about is the process around the form.

The process, however, is pivotal as it influences the design of every part of the form.

This article explores the analysis of process, including the importance of documenting the information need.

Upcoming article

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:08:06 -0000

A List Apart has accepted an article submitted by Formulate Information Design, about our zebra striping research.

The 4 layers of a form

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:43:28 -0000

Need to design a form and can't get past that blank piece of paper or screen? Maybe you've been charged with reviewing an existing form and you don't know where to start.

This article describes a way in which a form or questionnaire can be broken up into individual layers, making the design and review process easier and more efficient.

What makes a good form?

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:00:00 -0000

So you have a form, and you want to make it 'good'. Where do you start?

In this article we present a simple model for assessing the quality of a form.

Formulate asked to talk about zebra striping study

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:00:00 -0000

We have been asked to speak about our recent research on zebra striping at two upcoming conferences.

Here we provide a video background to the technique and the study.