1. Usability of e-government web
forms around the world
Miriam Gerver
U.S. Census Bureau
Disclaimer: This report is released to inform interested parties of (ongoing) research and to encourage discussion (of work in progress). Any views
expressed on (statistical, methodological, technical, or operational) issues are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census
Bureau.
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2. Presentation Goal
Highlight best practices of web forms that have
been implemented in government sites
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3. Multi-Disciplinary Research
• Website usability in general (including eye
tracking)
• Online forms design
• Paper forms design
• Survey methodology research
• Government studies
3

4. Resources
• Guidelines (United States, Australian and
Norwegian Government Agencies)
• Books
• Articles
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5. Topics
1. Initial impression
2. Web content
3. Page & Question design (layout, appearance)
4. Help and instructions
5. Data entry and manipulation
6. Navigation
7. Saving for records
8. Feedback and additional information
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6. 1. Initial Impression
_______________________________
Image from: http://classroomclipart.com
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7. 1. Initial Impression
• Common browsers and operating systems
• Connection speed
• Credibility
– Headers, footers, logos
• Images to facilitate learning
• Background color
• Limit prose on homepage (logon page)
• Material needed before start
• Time commitment
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8. 1. Initial Impression
Establish
credibility Limited
prose
Useful
image
Time
commitment
____________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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9. 1. Initial Impression
Useful
image
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Potaka, L. (2008). Comparability and Usability: Key issues in the design of internet forms for New Zealand’s 2006 Census of Populations
and Dwellings. Survey Research Methods, 2(1), p. 4, fig. 1

10. 2. Web Content
• Ask only what you need to know
• Define words
• Use easy to understand words
– for the respondent population
• Use abbreviations sparingly, but not always
possible to do so
• Limit number of words and sentences
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11. 3. Page & Question Design
• General “look and feel”
• Field label alignment
• Non-prominent, but relevant, information:
footer
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12. 3. Page Design:
General “Look and Feel”
• Minimum amount of visual information
• Space between questions
• Descriptive column headings in tables
• Mixed or sentence case
• Avoid underlining words
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13. 3. Page Design:
General “Look and Feel”
Unnecessary
borders
___________________
From: http://forms.gov.il

14. 3. Page Design:
General “Look and Feel”
Dollars Extra
marked zeros
________________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey
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15. 3. Page Design:
General “Look and Feel”
_____________________________________________ Percentage signs marked
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Services Annual Survey
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16. 3. Page Design: Field Label Alignment
______________________________________________________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey and Bureau’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey
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17. 4. Help and Instructions
• Easy to find, visually associated with field
• Novice vs. expert users
• Symbols to indicate help
• Easy to read
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18. 4. Help and Instructions Help and instructions
Symbols to
indicate help
___________________________________________________
From: http://www.elmer.no/retningslinjer/pdf/elmer2-english.pdf

19. 4. Help and Instructions
Hover over
help
(translation)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Potaka, L. (2008). Comparability and Usability: Key issues in the design of internet forms for New Zealand’s 2006 Census of Populations
and Dwellings. Survey Research Methods, 2(1), p. 4, fig. 1

20. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation
• Login
• Flexibility of data input
• Tabbing
• Horizontal Scrolling
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21. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
Login
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Potaka, L. (2008). Comparability and Usability: Key issues in the design of internet forms for New Zealand’s 2006 Census of Populations
and Dwellings. Survey Research Methods, 2(1), p. 4, fig. 1

22. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
Login
Multi-step
login
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Cited by Caroline Jarrett: http://elearning.ina.pt/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=65&Itemid=31

23. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
Easier Data Input
Specific formatting, higher user burden
Lower user burden
____________________________________________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Capital Expenditure Survey and Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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24. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
Flexible Data Input
_______________________________________________________________________________
From: https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco/RenderEngine?eForms_timestamp=1265139882238

25. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
Tabbing
OR
________________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey
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26. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
No Horizontal Scrolling
_______________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Capital Expenditures Survey
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27. 5. Data Entry and Manipulation:
No Horizontal Scrolling
Section 1
Section 2
___________________________________________________
From: http://www.elmer.no/retningslinjer/pdf/elmer2-english.pdf

28. 6. Navigation
• Clear path to completion
• Section to section
• Links
• Numbering and labeling of items
• Back and next buttons
• Skip patterns
– Scrolling vs. paging
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29. 6. Navigation: Clear Path
______________________________________________________
From the U.S. Department of Education’s application for student aid

30. 6. Navigation: Section to Section
Left-hand
navigation
panel
______________________________________________________
From the U.S. Department of Education’s application for student aid

31. 6. Navigation: Section to Section
______________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
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32. 6. Navigation: Section to Section
________________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey
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33. 6. Navigation:
Back and Next Buttons
• Next on the left side:
Next Back
– Path to completion
– Primary & secondary buttons
• Next on the right side:
– Expectations Back Next
– Reading patterns
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34. 6. Navigation:
Back and Next Buttons
___________________________________________
From: http://www.uie.com/articles/previous_next_luke

35. 6. Navigation: Skip Patterns
• Also called “conditional branching”
• Two options for irrelevant questions:
– Gray out
– Hide
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36. 6. Navigation: Skip Patterns
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Potaka, L. (2008). Comparability and Usability: Key issues in the design of internet forms for New Zealand’s 2006 Census of Populations
and Dwellings. Survey Research Methods, 2(1), p. 4, fig. 1

37. 6. Navigation: Skip Patterns
___________________________________________________
From: http://www.elmer.no/retningslinjer/pdf/elmer2-english.pdf

38. 7. Saving for Records
• Conveyed to the user that information is
saved from screen to screen
• Information should be able to be saved for
review, printing, and record keeping purposes
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39. 7. Saving for Records
____________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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40. 8. Feedback and
Additional Information
• Error or warning messages
• Inline validation and calculation
• Review screen
• Submission confirmation & thank you
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41. 8. Feedback and Additional
Information: Error Messages
• What, where, how (to fix)
• Double visual language
• Symbols
• Color
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42. 8. Feedback and
Additional Information
•Well-
displayed
•Double
visual
language
•How to fix
or ignore
problem
____________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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43. 8. Feedback and Additional Information:
Inline Validation & Calculation
• Imposing parameters (limits) on data
entered
– But allow users to override
• Automatic calculation Show
1. Calculate button calculation
2. Automatically calculate when go to next cell formula in
either case
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44. 8. Feedback and Additional Information:
Inline Validation & Calculation
_______________________________________________________________________________
From: https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco/RenderEngine?eForms_timestamp=1265139882238

45. 8. Feedback and Additional
Information: Review Screen
• Should always be included, even if
permitted to submit with errors
• Navigate back to errors
• Review screen update
• Provide a way for quick review
– PDF view of data
– Summary of all/key information
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46. 8. Feedback and Additional
Information: Review Screen
Navigate Updates when
back to errors fixed
errors
Submit
with errors
____________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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47. 8. Feedback and Additional Information:
Submission Confirmation & thank you
• Able to print or save
• Any payment transaction noted
• Should include, at minimum:
– Agency name
– Form title (and subtitle, if applicable)
– User name
– Date and time stamp
– Confirmation number, if applicable
• Thank you
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48. 8. Feedback and Additional Information:
Submission Confirmation & thank you
Form title Agency name
Date and time stamp
User name
Print confirmation screen
____________________________________________________
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
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49. Summary
• Make a good first impression
• Data entry should be easy to enter correctly
• Getting from question to question and
section to section should be intuitive
• Method of saving information for records
should be clear
• Feedback given to the user, such as error
messages, review info, and submission
confirmation, should be clear
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50. Questions?
Miriam Gerver
miriam.gerver@census.gov
301-763-1836
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