Form and Input Screen Design

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Forms and screens should have a consistent design
  as far as possible within a system and
  organization.
• The more consistent designs are, the more uniform
  users' expectations become, and consequently
  their learning burden is reduced.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Forms and screens consist of three main
  components
• 1. Data entry areas.
• 2. Supporting information, and instructions.
• 3. Titles and headings.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Layout of data entry forms and data entry screens
  follow the same guidelines although more data can
  be put on a printed form than on a VDU screen.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Data should be grouped together either according
  to their frequency of use, or their importance,
  or sequence of entry.
• Ideally the choice of which grouping criterion to
  use should be made in consultation with the user.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Three rules apply to prompts, titles and
  instructions
• keep it simple
• be explicit
• exclude irrelevant material .

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Titles must describe concisely the purpose of
  the form or screen and should be centered at the
  top.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Good screen design is important, since for most
  users, screens and output reports are the main
  system interface.
• A well programmed system can be spoilt by a poor
  interface which confuses the user.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Some general points can be made on screen design
• Where?
• Studies show that the eyes move to the upper left
  centre of a display.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Information should start near here.
• Consistency should be maintained throughout
• E.g. titles at the top, error messages at the
  bottom.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• What?
• Only information essential for a screen action
  is included.
• Screen density up to about 15 - 20 is
  considered about right.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• How?
• Headings and captions in upper case.
• Captions short and familiar and to the left of
  an entry field
• Maximum entry indicated by dots or underlines e.g.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• SURNAME . . . . . . . . . . .
• For multi-entry fields the caption may be above
  the entry
• CAR-REG-NO. S
• . . . . . . . . .
• . . . . . . . . .
• . . . . . . . .. .

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Form and Input Screen Design

•   If units of measure are being requested the
  unit should be specified, e.g.weight in kgs
•   Highlighting should be used for titles,
  mandatory fields, important prompts and
  instructions for filling in.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Input screen types considered
• (1) Those with a dedicated source document.
• (2) Those without a dedicated source document.
• (3) Menu screens. For input and general computer
  interaction.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• (1)With a Dedicated Document
• The design rule is that the screen should be a
  close image of the source.
• This cannot be perfect but try to match field
  positions.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Non-entry information on document should not
  appear on screen - leave area blank.
• Captions can be abbreviated since full caption is
  on the form e.g.
• TEL-NO. . . . . . . . . . .

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Form and Input Screen Design

• When inputting, the eye should be able to locate
  the entry field quickly.
• This is easiest when screen mirrors the
  document.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• (2)Without a Dedicated Document
• The screen is the primary source of reference for
  information entry
• Input could be via letters, verbal, lists etc.
• Screen design for visual clarity.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Captions should be in full to avoid ambiguity.
• Compilation aids are useful -
• DATE (DDMMYY) . . /. . /. .
• Input fields organised logically e.g. grouped
  into related fields and sub-headed.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• (3)Menu Screens
• Most packages interact with the user through
  screen menus.
• This uses the more powerful human ability of
  recognition rather than recall.
• Commands do not have to be remembered

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Form and Input Screen Design

• The following points are considered
• - ease of visual scanning of the screen.
• - how are options chosen
• - design of the hierarchy of menus from a
  top-level menu.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• The Windows or W I M P interface (Windows, Icon,
  Mouse, Pull-down menus) is now universal.
• Eliminates a lot of typing - a major source of
  user input error.
• Some systems have too complex and deep a
  hierarchy - user becomes lost.

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Form and Input Screen Design

• Dialogue Design is important in all systems
• The wording should correspond knowledge level
  the potential user.
• This usually means excluding unnecessary jargon
  terms

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Dialogue

• Two quotes to consider as examples of
  communication
• (1)
• Gentlemen of advanced years tend to have
  reduced cognitive powers of memory, shown by the
  inability to recall recent events
• Bob Larmour

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Dialogue

• (2)
• Old men forget
• W. Shakespeare