Comments on: Form Design And The Fallacy Of The Required Field http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/ Usability, User Experience, Social Media, and Content Management Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:56:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Twitted by pixelsavvy http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1587 Twitted by pixelsavvy Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:14:04 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1587 [...] This post was Twitted by pixelsavvy [...] [...] This post was Twitted by pixelsavvy [...]

]]> By: Caroline Jarrett http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1585 Caroline Jarrett Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:58:34 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1585 I agree with you that designers fret too much about the required field indicator. In testing, I've seen that some web-savvy people (e.g. designers) do notice the required field indicators and do make some decisions about what to fill in based on them. Other web-savvy people don't care, and ordinary users don't notice them and make their decisions about what to answer in other ways. I do very much like, and recommend, using the entire word 'optional' to show which fields are optional - but, as Cam pointed out, putting the 'optional' on the right-hand side may not be the best position. In the end, though, it's not the *indication* of required or optional that creates difficulties for users, it's the selection of what is required or optional and the way that the validations are handled. Being forced to answer a question for which you don't have an answer, just because it is required, really does create a lot of hassle. There's more discussion of this in our book: "Forms that work: Designing web forms for usability" www.formsthatwork.com I agree with you that designers fret too much about the required field indicator. In testing, I’ve seen that some web-savvy people (e.g. designers) do notice the required field indicators and do make some decisions about what to fill in based on them. Other web-savvy people don’t care, and ordinary users don’t notice them and make their decisions about what to answer in other ways.

I do very much like, and recommend, using the entire word ‘optional’ to show which fields are optional – but, as Cam pointed out, putting the ‘optional’ on the right-hand side may not be the best position.

In the end, though, it’s not the *indication* of required or optional that creates difficulties for users, it’s the selection of what is required or optional and the way that the validations are handled. Being forced to answer a question for which you don’t have an answer, just because it is required, really does create a lot of hassle.

There’s more discussion of this in our book: “Forms that work: Designing web forms for usability” http://www.formsthatwork.com

]]> By: links for 2009-11-19 « News, Software and All you need http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1584 links for 2009-11-19 « News, Software and All you need Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:22:23 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1584 [...] Form Design And The Fallacy Of The Required Field | Usability Counts | User Experience, Social Media "Standards are wonderful, but if I asked my mom what is the international symbol for a required field, she would look at me like I was on drugs" (tags: design usability forms) [...] [...] Form Design And The Fallacy Of The Required Field | Usability Counts | User Experience, Social Media "Standards are wonderful, but if I asked my mom what is the international symbol for a required field, she would look at me like I was on drugs" (tags: design usability forms) [...]

]]> By: Real-Time Business Analytics: Talking Operational Intelligence … | Management Business Wisdom http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1583 Real-Time Business Analytics: Talking Operational Intelligence … | Management Business Wisdom Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:27:36 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1583 [...] Form Design And The Fallacy Of The Required Field | Usability … [...] [...] Form Design And The Fallacy Of The Required Field | Usability … [...]

]]> By: Twitted by violetile http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1582 Twitted by violetile Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:49:09 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1582 [...] This post was Twitted by violetile [...] [...] This post was Twitted by violetile [...]

]]> By: Patrick Neeman http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1581 Patrick Neeman Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:35:26 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1581 That could be handled through presentation and CSS, right? Separation of presentation and content? That could be handled through presentation and CSS, right? Separation of presentation and content?

]]> By: Cam http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1580 Cam Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:01:56 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1580 Quote: "...the word Optional was placed to the right of the field..." Potential issues for users of screen readers here? Reading out the word 'optional' after they have already entered text into the field? Do they then associate the word 'optional' with the next entry field? Quote: “…the word Optional was placed to the right of the field…”

Potential issues for users of screen readers here? Reading out the word ‘optional’ after they have already entered text into the field? Do they then associate the word ‘optional’ with the next entry field?

]]> By: Twitted by jeffkraemer http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2009/11/18/form-design-and-the-fallacy-of-the-required-field/comment-page-1/#comment-1579 Twitted by jeffkraemer Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:55:36 +0000 http://www.usabilitycounts.com/?p=1844#comment-1579 [...] This post was Twitted by jeffkraemer [...] [...] This post was Twitted by jeffkraemer [...]

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