E-forms: saving work or creating stress?
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The document discusses the pros and cons of e-forms compared to paper forms, highlighting potential benefits such as cost savings and customer service improvements, but also noting the practicality and ease of use that paper forms can offer. It outlines key indicators for successful e-form projects, emphasizing the importance of understanding user experience, error rates, user awareness, and security considerations. The author, Caroline Jarrett, advocates for a careful approach to implementing e-forms, ensuring they are optional at first and tailored to user needs.
E-forms: saving work or creating stress?
- 1. E-forms: saving work or creating stress? Caroline Jarrett IPCC, University of Twente, Netherlands, 8 July 2010 FORMS CONTENT
- 2. Caroline Jarrett twitter @cjforms caroline.jarrett@effortmark.co.uk Stone, Jarrett, Woodroffe and Minocha (2005) User interface design and evaluation Morgan Kaufmann Jarrett and Gaffney (2008) Forms that work: Designing web forms for usability Morgan Kaufmann Consultancy: www.effortmark.co.uk Forms advice: www.formsthatwork.com Training: www.usabilitythatworks.com Editing tips: www.editingthatworks.com Designing for people who do not read easily: www.designtoread.com 2
- 3. Online forms offer potential benefits Cost savings Customer service improvements Environmental benefits 3
- 4. But paper forms also offer benefits • If the form arrives as paper, why not carry on? • Paper forms can be easier – Easier to copy from last year’s form – Easier to share with another user – Easier to read and flip – Easier to start and stop • Unlikely to crash Jarrett, C. (2006) “Why do people persist with paper forms?” http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article3385.asp 4
- 5. Outline Two examples from the UK Choosing the right level of E-Form Indicators of likely project success 5
- 6. Case studies Two examples from the UK: 1. Ugly but effective 2. Usable but defective 6
- 7. Paper form: sometimes need to report ‘no payment due’ 7
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- 11. Usable but defective: the story of Tax Credits Online • ‘Tax credit’ is a means-tested payment – Aims to reduce the ‘poverty gap’, where low-paid workers lose more in state benefits than they gain in wages when moving into work – Mostly for families with children • User experience: – Forms were somewhat simpler than the previous benefit – Complicated rules about changes in circumstances – Online application system, extensively tested for usability 11
- 12. Tax Credits Online closed in 2005 • Attack by organized gangs • Still has not reopened 12
- 13. Outline Two examples from the UK Choosing the right level of E-Form Indicators of likely project success 13
- 14. There are five levels of ‘online’ to consider, of increasing technological complexity 1 Print-on-demand 2 Fill-and-print 3 Intelligent electronic forms 4 Enterprise-enabled Complete business applications Killam, R. (2009) “Forms Management: What Forms Managers Think About” User Experience Magazine: Volume 8, Issue 2 5 14
- 15. Form taken from a .pdf leaflet explaining what you have to do 15
- 16. This is the start of the fillable .pdf 16
- 17. Screenshot from the (free) HRS Pro enterprise-enabled software 17
- 18. As the level of integration increases, you’ll probably need to make more changes 1. Print-on-Demand 2. Fill-and-print 3. Intelligent electronic forms 4. Enterprise-enabled 5. Complete business applications • Change the form number? • Remove paper-only language Add instructions about filling • Pages appear according to previous inputs • New pages to handle responses from the application • Should be a whole new approach to get maximum value 18
- 19. Outline Two examples from the UK Choosing the right level of E-Form Indicators of likely project success 19
- 20. A typical last-century schematic for a data capture process Jarrett, C. (2000) Understanding the costs of data capture: paper, automatic, and with the Internet. CIMTECH http://www.formsthatwork.com/files/Articles/DataCaptureCosts.pdf 20
- 21. A typical 2010 schematic for a data capture process http://www.dataentrysolution.com/subdivision-14-Data-capture.html 21
- 22. Well-understood business process: watch the people deal with the paper • Start with the post room • Follow through every part of the process • Find out how they deal with errors and exceptions Jarrett, C. (2000) Understanding the costs of data capture: paper, automatic, and with the Internet. CIMTECH http://www.formsthatwork.com/files/Articles/DataCaptureCosts.pdf
- 23. Indicator for E-forms success: low error rates for paper forms • Typical error rate for a complex form? • 100% (each form has at least one error) • Typical error rate for a good E-forms process? • 10%? 23
- 24. Indicator for E-forms success: Clear benefits for user • Paper forms have benefits – Same form as last time – Easier to share – Easier to read and flip – Easier to copy – Easier to start and stop – Unlikely to crash • What incentive can you offer to the user? – Available on demand – Do calculations – Check for (some) errors – Quicker answers Jarrett, C. (2006) “Why do people persist with paper forms?” http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article3385.asp 24
- 25. Indicator for E-forms success: High level of web awareness in users http://bit.ly/bEMkPB 25
- 26. Indicator for E-forms success: Appropriate level of security • How do the users feel about this form? • Does it capture personal data? • What are the risks? 26
- 27. Indicator for E-forms success: Online form is optional, at least at initially HM Revenue and Customs: P35 (End of year) • Started with financial incentive (£250, approx € 300) • Financial incentive reduced each year • Mandatory for largest businesses, then medium, then small • Now mandatory, no incentive, for all but a few exceptions 27
- 28. Indicator for E-forms success: Don’t try to force 100% compliance Stopped Nannies Religious objection Care workers 28
- 29. Summary Choose the right level of E-Form Indicators for project success: – Well-understood business process – Low error rates for paper forms – Clear benefits for user – High level of web awareness in users – Appropriate level of security – Online form is optional, at least initially – Don’t try to force 100% compliance 29
- 30. Contact Caroline Jarrett carolinej@effortmark.co.uk Twitter @cjforms Slides at: www.slideshare.net/cjforms ” 30
- 31. Caroline Jarrett Caroline is an independent user experience and usability consultant who specialises in forms: on the web, on paper, and business processes involving forms. She particularly likes working with complex government or financial forms. Caroline works on a ‘skills transfer’ basis, helping you and your organisation to learn how to introduce user- centred design, usability, and better forms. 31
Editor's Notes
- #8: Paper form HM Revenue and Customs sends a pre-printed paying-in book Employer fills in with zeros HMRC has to deal with a ‘zero’ paying-in slip Electronic equivalent coming up
- #15: Killam, R. (2009) “Forms Management: What Forms Managers Think About” User Experience Magazine: Volume 8, Issue 2 1. Print-on-Demand Essentially, paper forms that are made available electronically. 2. Fill-and-print The user fills the form online, then prints and sends in. Good if you need a real signature, or the user has to attach a document 3. Intelligent electronic forms Include conditional fields, logon access, hidden fields, and help Data collected is not integrated with enterprise applications. 4. Enterprise-enabled Data is merged with enterprise applications e.g. database connections, secure access, electronic signatures, and other enterprise features. 5. Complete business applications Multiple forms and sub-forms in an integrated business solution. May have a mixture of intelligent electronic forms and enterprise-enabled forms