Caroline Jarrett about “Designing usable forms: the three-layer model of the form”:
“If you want to create a usable form, the first step is to understand what a form is. By un-picking its elements, it is then possible to improve each aspect and put it back together in an improved state.
These ideas are derived from my evaluations of various types of forms, mainly my work with the United Kingdom Inland Revenue to improve the usability of our tax forms. Tax forms are an extreme example, but usually people do not look forward to filling in a form.
This paper begins with a discussion of a form, and explains forms in terms of three layers: perceptual (layout), conversational (questions and answers)and relationship (the structure of the task).
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The three-layer model attempts to explain forms in terms of their appearance, question-and-answer sequence and task structure. Although the initial appearance is important, and the question-andanswer sequence is the most obvious part of the form, I suggest that in the end a good form needs a good task structure.”
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Designing usable forms: the three-layer model of the form
