Form Use

Forms are a good way to collect information from website viewers. Some commercial sites allow viewers to order products by filling out information in a form. Many of the rules that make forms easy to use cannot currently be checked automatically. The only automatic checks are to make sure that two clearly labeled buttons are present on the form: a button labeled "send" or "submit" and a button labeled "clear" or "reset" which erases all information currently filled in and allows the user to start over.

Rules that should be followed in providing easy to use forms include:

Clearly labeling text fields so users know what information should be filled in.
Make sure that the user knows which fields are optional.
If data has to be input in a certain format (i.e., dates, first name followed by last name), make sure this format is displayed to the user.
"Send" and "Clear" buttons should be provided at the top and bottom of the form if the form normally needs to be scrolled.
Do not use horizontal lines across a form as many viewers see these as stopping points and do not scroll beyond them.
Do not ask users to fill in information that can be automatically collected (i.e., date, information propagated from other text fields).

Checklist for Form Use
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The following table contains the checks performed by WebSAT along with the problems that might be caused by failure to provide the indicated html. For more information, see form use guidelines.

Html check	Potential problem
Rule: The form should include a functionality for returning the completed form. WebSAT returns: "NO" if the form page does NOT contain a button that performs a "Send" or "Submit".	Without such a function, users will not have a way to deliver responses upon completion of a form. A functional description of this need can be found in the definition of reset and submit buttons.
Rule: The form should include a button that is clearly labeled "Send" or "Submit" for delivering responses. WebSAT returns: "NO" if the form page does NOT contain a button labeled "Send" or "Submit".	Users are used to using "Send" or "Submit" buttons to deliver the completed form. A good discussion on designing submit buttons can be found in the article "how to create a Submit Button of your own design."
Rule: The form should include a functionality for clearing or resetting the form. WebSAT returns: "NO" if the form page does NOT contain a button that handles the function of clearing or resetting the form.	Users will not have an easy way available to them to restart their input. A functional description of this need can be found in the definition of reset and submit buttons.
Rule: The form should include a button that is clearly labeled "Clear" or "Reset" for clearing current information from the form. WebSAT returns: "NO" if the form page does NOT contain a button labeled "Clear" or "Reset".	Users understand that a "Clear" or "Reset" button will erase information that is currently in the form. A good discussion on designing submit buttons can be found in the article "how to create a Submit Button of your own design."

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Page last modified: 15 May 2002
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)