A look at 8 Web form elements, 20 CSS properties and 22 browsers-- which form elements and CSS properties allow for the greatest design control.

1. WEB FORM ELEMENTS
Christopher Schmitt | @teleject on twitter

7. ( )=
/ ( )

10. FORM ELEMENTS
• Checkboxes • Select:
• Input: • Multiple Items
• File • Single Item
• Radio • Submit Button
• Text • Textarea

11. CSS PROPERTIES
• background-color • height
• background-image • letter-spacing
• border • line-height
• border-color • margin
• border-style • padding
• border-width • text-align
• color • text-decoration
• font-family • text-indent
• font-size • width
• font-weight • word-spacing

12. 7.2 5 8.5 1.5 3 1
5.5 9 2.0 4b
6 3.0
7
8b2
7.2 9 1.5 2
2.0 3
3.0 4b

13. 3,520
screengrabs

18. RADIO BUTTONS

19. CSS HEIGHT
FF 2
FF 2
FF 3
Chrome 1

20. CSS WIDTH
FF 3
FF 3
Safari 3
Safari 3
Safari 4b
Safari 4b

21. CSS TEXT INDENT
Chrome 1
Safari 4b
Safari 4b
Opera 9
Opera 9

22. CSS BACKGROUND COLOR
IE 6
IE 7
IE 8b2
Opera 9
Opera 9

23. CSS BACKGROUND IMG
Firefox 2
Firefox 2
IE 6
IE 7
IE 8b2
Opera 9
Opera 9

25. CSS & TEXTAREA
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

26. CSS & INPUT TEXT FIELDS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

27. CSS & SUBMIT BUTTON
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

28. CSS & SELECT BOXES (ONE)
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

29. CSS & SELECT BOXES (MULTI)
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

30. CSS & FILE UPLOADS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

31. CSS & CHECKBOXES
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

32. CSS & RADIO BUTTONS
20
15
10
5
0
IE6 IE7 IE8b2 Ch Mac FF3 Win FF3 Mac Op9 Win Op9 Mac S3 Win S3 Mac S4b Win S4b
Yes No Somewhat N/A

33. Radio Check File Select Select Input Text
Buttons Boxes Uploads (Multi) (One) Text Area

35. CSS PROPERTIES
100
75
50
25
0
height letter-spacing line-height margin padding text-align text-decoration text-indent width word-spacing
Y N S N/A

36. CSS PROPERTIES
100
75
50
25
0
bkgd-color bkgd-image border border-color border-style border-width color font-family font-size font-weight
Y N S N/A

37. Text Indent Font Family Height Font Size Margin
Text Border Color Color Border Style Background
Decoration Color
Font Weight Background Letter Spacing
Image Width
Word Spacing Padding
Border

38. Radio Check File Select Select Input Text
Buttons Boxes Uploads (Multi) (One) Text Area
Text Indent Font Family Height Font Size Margin
Text Border Color Color Border Style Background
Decoration Color
Font Weight Background Letter Spacing
Image Width
Word Spacing Padding
Border

46. LET BROWSER VENDORS
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
• Internet Explorer
• http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/contact.aspx
• Opera
• http://my.opera.com/community/forums/forum.dml?id=24
• http://groups.google.com/group/opera.wishlist/topics
• Safari
• http://lists.webkit.org/mailman/listinfo/webkit-dev
• Google Chrome
• http://groups.google.com/group/chromium-dev

47. LET BROWSER VENDORS
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
• Web Form Elements Design Quiz
• Part 1: http://tr.im/lp2k
• Part 2: http://tr.im/lp2g
• http://www.WebFormElements.com/
• 3,500 form element screen captures
• HTML form element look-up tables (free):
• http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527419/appendixd/appd.pdf

49. TAKE AWAYS
• Designing for forms is hard for HTML+CSS
• Even the same browser, different platform render Web forms
differently
• To
help you discern the safety of CSS on a Web form, use
WebFormElements.com
• Reviewed which browsers are most hazardous

50. TAKE AWAYS
• Reviewed which CSS properties are supported the most.
• Reviewed what high-profile sites are doing to design for forms:
Nothing.
• Call to action!
• Letbrowser vendors hear you or they won’t care to fix the
problem.
• With HTML5 form elements, problem is going to get worse.

51. THANK YOU!
Christopher Schmitt
schmitt@heatvision.com
@teleject on twitter

52. CREATIVE COMMONS CITATIONS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanuiop/2234239588/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/1947424580/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evapro/312900784/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kekka/799060449/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddedevries/2594048276/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/2992217972/