Hi Everyone:

Consider a site that uses a series of short forms to enter information into a database. If you were the person entering the information, which site would you rather use?

Site A: You enter all of the information into every form, and then after you've entered all of the info, you are presented with a "summary/review" page that allows you to verify all of your entries. If something is incorrect, you click an "edit" link that takes you to a small page that let's you fix what you need to fix, and then you return to the summary/review page. If all is well, you click Submit and the database gets updated with all of the new data.

Site B: Same as Site A, except on this one, the "summary/edit" page has everything you need right on it to make any edits, removing the need to click a link to edit something.

Site C: Same form-to-form structure as Site A, except this site has no final "summary/edit" page. After you fill in the data in Form_01 and click submit, you immediately get a page that asks you to verify your entries. You verify the Form_01 data, click Next, and get to Form_02. Fill out Form_02, submit it and immediately have to verify the data in Form_02. This enter/verify, enter/verify process would continue until you click the last submit button on the last verification page, which would then update the database.

Thoughts? Does anyone know of a good Web site or book that covers this type of issue with sound best-practices advice?

Thanks,
tovince

    Thanks for replying, Steveo31.

    Any particular reason you'd chose Site B?

    How about anyone else? Any thoughts?
    Pros/Cons for doing things like Site A, Site B, or Site C?

    --tovince

      Site A, in my experience, has been the choice by sites that I have used, typically e-commerce sites.

      each form..in the summary page...has a box of each spearate form values for review, each with an individual edit button.

      With the number of auto form fill in's out there...like gator, and just the fact one is typically typing in very familar data, they are less likely to have made a mistake...one hopes.

      Also, while more work, I validate data, and when invalid, I re-display the screen with the error message next to the filed. Nothing more irratating than a lazy site that says you got some error and asks you to hit the back button to go fix. I validate with php.

        Thanks, azunoman.

        Do you validate with php rather than JavaScript (or similar) for any particular reason? Just a personal preference?

        I'm inclined to use php for validation, too, because then I don't have to worry about whether or not someone's browser can handle JavaScript, etc.

        As for the forms, they likely wouldn't be forms gator or a similar app could auto-fill. For example, some of the forms might collect information about books such as title, author, isbn, chapter titles, etc.

        --tovince

          i.e....java vs php....I am going to do my best not to fall into the trap of, it so pretty/cool...and use java script....I have java enabled and still get run time errors from certain sites....Bank of America online for one...lol...so for me it....php/css/dhtml....

          I am trying to stay a php pureist and not be tempted by shiny stones...However...I would say...that when a use has entered say, 5 characters of a max 5 character field, I want it to automatically go to the next form field. I will use things like that as if java not enabled, it won't make any difference.

            Oops.. misread. I thought it said that it takes you back to the original page for correcting, not a "smal" page. Gotcha. In that case I would do "A".

            Easier and cleaner that having everything on that page for correction IMO.

            😃

              it only goes back to the original page for editing when the input is BAD...like zip..phone...bad words etc...that sort of validation....for user to review what they entered, then no...

                Write a Reply...