Discussing a Topic Map for How to Design a Better Form 2019 March
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If a person working on a government form wants to improve that form, what advice can we offer? This discussion of a topic map for 'how to design a better form' is from a webinar on 9th April 2019 for the GSA (General Services Administration) Research Guild, and Digital.gov, in the US.
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Discussing a Topic Map for How to Design a Better Form 2019 March
- 1. How to design a form better Let’s discuss a topic map Caroline Jarrett @cjforms
- 2. I was inspired to start this by a talk by Ralph Hawkins. Then I tried it out in Leeds. Ralph Hawkins Service designer Government Digital Service @ralph_hawkins Trying a previous version in Leeds, UK http://www.effortmark.co.uk/a-draft-curriculum-for-how-to-design-a-form/
- 3. A ‘topic map’ shows the relationships between areas of knowledge By Hirzel at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Econt., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36216653
- 4. This is a two-step process for designing a form 1. Get the questions 2. Put the questions onto pages 4
- 5. Do you have topics you want to add? 1. Get the questions 2. Put the questions onto pages 5
- 6. Old paper form + magic of digital = ???? 1. Get the questions https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312012851_Electronic_ Referrals_and_Digital_Imaging_Systems_in_Ophthalmology_A_ Global_Perspective/figures?lo=1 2. Put the questions onto pages https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/ 6/66/Cartoon_Man_Approving_His_New_Computer.svg 6
- 7. People struggle with bad forms every day https://twitter.com/paul_clarke/status/11043337215645204517
- 8. Where is the advice for designers about using consistent reference numbers? https://beta.nhs.uk/service-manual8
- 9. Where is the advice for designers about using consistent reference numbers? https://design-system.service.gov.uk/ 9
- 10. Where is the advice for designers about using consistent reference numbers? https://v2.designsystem.digital.gov/ 10
- 11. Our design systems are good at high-level advice. We all have ‘Design Principles’. https://beta.nhs.uk/service-manual/design-principles 11
- 12. And our design systems are good at component-level advice https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/buttons/ 12
- 13. In the UK, we offer advice on language https://beta.nhs.uk/service-manual/content13
- 14. In the US, you have plainlanguage.gov https://plainlanguage.gov/examples/ 14
- 15. Our designers know about “one thing per page” https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/design/form-structure 15
- 16. Some examples of what I mean by topics • Detailed topics: – Good services are verbs not nouns – Kill your select boxes / avoid drop-downs – Use words that your users understand • Process topics: – Start with one thing per page – Understand user needs – Do usability testing • Over-arching principles: – Do the hard work to make it simple – Make it easy to do the right thing 16
- 17. Some examples of topics that we might decide to add or to create • Detailed topics: – Same thing -> same name; different thing -> different name – Avoid double-barrelled questions (two questions in one) – Label the button with what it does • Process topics: – Observe colleagues dealing with forms to understand their workflow – Do card-sorting with users to understand which questions go together – Start your paper form design ahead of the digital equivalent • Over-arching principles: – If you don’t know what you will do with the answer, don’t ask the question – Make use of information that you already have 17
- 18. Colleagues at NHS Digital did some topic suggestion and grouping for me Get the questions Write the questions Put the questions onto pages Usability testing
- 19. Dean Vipond suggested another look at the 2-step process 1. Get the questions 2. Put the questions onto pages 19
- 20. Matt Edgar suggested a design double-diamond https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/design-process-what-double-diamond 20
- 21. Our simple process as a double diamond Get the questions Put the questions onto pages 21
- 22. The designers had a group ‘write good questions’ in the middle Get the questions Put the questions onto pages Write good questions 22
- 23. ‘Discover/define’ focuses on whether you need a form and why Put the questions onto pages Write good questions Read the legislation Decide on measures of success Understand needs and goals Find out how you’ll use the answers Observe people using the forms 23
- 24. “Get the questions” might be a linear process Read the legislation Decide on measures of success Understand needs and goals Observe people using the forms Find out how you’ll use the answers Write good questions 24
- 25. But it’s more likely to be successful when you iterate Read the legislation Decide on measures of success Understand needs and goals Observe people using the forms Find out how you’ll use the answers Write good questions 25
- 26. ‘Develop/deliver’ focuses on turning questions into a good user experience Get the questions Write good questions Do usability testing with users Start with one thing per page Provide a sense of control Choose the right UI components 26
- 27. “Put the questions on the page” definitely has to be an iterative process Start with one thing per page Write good questions Provide a sense of control Choose the right UI component Do usability testing 27
- 28. I’m asking you to contribute • Do you have ideas for topics? • Do you have examples or case studies of improved forms and how they were improved? • Would you like to write a topic, or know a good write-up? I think … I know … I could … 28
- 29. Here’s how to contribute • Stay with us for some extra (optional) discussion right now • Join the NHS Digital service manual Slack – http://bit.ly/2OS3MdG – join the #forms channel – comment as you wish • If you don’t like Slack or aren’t allowed to use it, – Email me: caroline.jarrett@effortmark.co.uk – Contact me on Twitter: @cjforms • Thank you 29
Editor's Notes
- This talk was inspired by one that Ralph Hawkins did at a GDS event for people designing government forms in January 2019. He described how to design a form and I’ve used some of his ideas and slides here. I then went on to try the ideas at the Leeds Design Meetup in February 2019. I learned that ‘curriculum’ sounds too much like the advice will be delivered solely through face-to-face training. That’s why I switched to ‘topic map’.
- The process we often see for forms looks something like this: Get the questions Put the questions onto pages This map has two topics Pages could be screens or paper pages Ask for topics that can go into the topic map and offer to gather them together
- I think we have all seen that the two-step process is not guaranteed to result in a wonderful form. Often, a badly designed paper form is used at the start point for the questions. Then we apply a form builder, and hope all will be well.
- Paper, web, or across both
- At the time of doing this talk, there is no advice for designers about consistent reference numbers in the NHS Digital service manual
- At the time of doing this talk, there is no advice for designers about consistent reference numbers in the GOV.UK design system
- At the time of doing this talk, there is no advice for designers about consistent reference numbers in the United States Web Design System
- I believe that there is only one page that offers advice about how to go about designing a form. It’s got ‘start with one thing per page’ part way down the list. This is part of the GOV.UK service manual
- All these example topics are already available somewhere across our three design systems. It’s not that easy to find them
- These are topics that aren’t currently available in any government or official design system as far as I know, but which we may decide are important for forms design.
- I suggested about 18 topics and five groups. My groups didn’t test well at all, but the meeting did create some better groups.
- Dean Vipond is design leader at NHS Digital
- Matt Edgar is Head of Design at NHS Digital
- Observe people working with the forms Observe users filling in the forms
- Observe people working with the forms Observe users filling in the forms