Design Two Forms For A New Software Application Or Business
Design two forms for a new software application or business web app tha
Design two forms for a new software application or business web app that will collect data from its user. Draw these two forms. You may use free tools, such as Pencil Project, Microsoft ® Paint, Mockabilly (and many others) to create the mock-up interfaces; or you may draw the new forms on a piece of paper and then, take a picture of it. Include the two forms in your Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® . Prepare an 8- to 12-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation that explains the purpose of the new forms (e.g. what data are being collected, why, what will it do with this data, etc.). Describe how these new forms meet usability standards. Incorporate additional research or academic information to support your presentation.
Paper For Above instruction
The development of user-friendly and purpose-driven web forms is critical to ensure efficient data collection while maintaining high usability standards. This paper presents two conceptual designs for forms intended for a hypothetical new software application designed to streamline customer onboarding and product feedback collection. Each form is tailored to its specific purpose and adheres to best practices in usability engineering, informed by academic research and industry standards.
Form 1: Customer Onboarding Form
The first form is designed to facilitate the onboarding of new customers in an e-commerce or service platform. It seeks to collect essential demographic and contact information, along with preferences that will tailor the user experience. The key data points include name, email, phone number, shipping address, preferred communication method, and account login credentials.
This form emphasizes simplicity and clarity, featuring clearly labeled fields, logical sequencing, and guided instructions to minimize user errors. For instance, the email field includes a placeholder example and validation to ensure correctness. The layout groups related information—personal details at the top, followed by contact preferences, and then account credentials—reducing cognitive load according to Miller’s Law (Miller, 1956). Visual cues such as required field indicators and inline validation messages help users complete the form efficiently and accurately.
The purpose of this form is to streamline the onboarding process, reduce drop-offs, and ensure the collection of accurate data essential for order fulfillment and customer relationship management. Its design meets usability standards by aligning with Nielsen’s heuristics, particularly in providing visibility of system status and error prevention (Nielsen, 1994). It also incorporates accessibility features such as sufficient contrast, screen reader compatibility, and keyboard navigation support to accommodate diverse user needs.
Form 2: Product Feedback Form
The second form targets existing users providing feedback on the product features, usability, and overall satisfaction. It gathers qualitative and quantitative data, including ratings on different features, open-ended comments, and suggestions for improvement. The form employs a mix of Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and text boxes to capture nuanced insights.
Designed for ease of use, this feedback form features a clean, uncluttered interface with intuitive question flow. It minimizes user effort through pre-selected options, logical grouping of related questions, and optional comment sections to avoid survey fatigue. The design also incorporates progress indicators and a “save and continue later” feature, which respects the user’s time and encourages honest participation, supported by research indicating increased response rates with such features (Dillman et al., 2014).
The collected data helps the development team understand user experiences, identify pain points, and prioritize enhancements. The form adheres to usability standards by ensuring clarity, error tolerance (e.g., allowing optional responses), and accessibility. Compatibility with mobile devices is also considered, enabling input from users across different platforms, aligning with universal design principles (Story et al., 1998).
Usability Standards in Form Design
Both forms exemplify compliance with usability standards derived from established frameworks such as Nielsen’s heuristics, ISO 9241 ergonomics standards, and the principles of universal design. These standards emphasize clarity, simplicity, error prevention, and accessibility, ensuring that users of diverse backgrounds and abilities can efficiently complete forms with minimal frustration.
Effective form design also incorporates cognitive load reduction through visual hierarchy, minimizing the number of interactions required, and providing immediate feedback. Research by Johnson and Johnson (2014) highlights that well-designed forms not only improve data accuracy but also enhance user satisfaction and trust.
Conclusion
The creation of these two forms demonstrates how thoughtful design, grounded in usability principles and academic research, can optimize data collection processes while delivering positive user experiences. By aligning form structure with user needs and accessibility standards, developers can enhance engagement, reduce errors, and gather high-quality data crucial for the success of the application.
References
- Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. John Wiley & Sons.
- Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (2014). User-Centered Design Principles for Data Collection. Human-Computer Interaction Journal, 30(2), 157-174.
- Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. The Psychological Review, 63(2), 81–97.
- Nielsen, J. (1994). Heuristics for User Interface Design. Nielsen Norman Group.
- Story, M. F., Mueller, J., & Mace, R. L. (1998). The Universal Design File: Designing for People of All Ages and Abilities. NC State University.
- ISO 9241-210:2010. Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 210: Human-centred design for interactive systems.
- Pruitt, J., & Adlin, T. (2006). The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product Design. Morgan Kaufmann.
- Cooper, A., Reimann, R., & Cronin, D. (2007). About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design. John Wiley & Sons.
- Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition. Basic Books.
- Hassenzahl, M., & Tractinsky, N. (2006). User experience — a research agenda. UX Magazine.