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danielwestheide's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty helpful book about how to design usable web forms, backed by a lot of data from usability tests.
davemmett's review against another edition
5.0
The bible for web forms. A must-read for anyone who opens a
bernfarr's review against another edition
5.0
Luke W explains carefully all the considerations that should go into designing a web form. I love the details about (for example) label placement. If you're doing web design or development you MUST read this book.
lencioni's review against another edition
5.0
There’s a pretty good chance that you will fill out a form today… and tomorrow… and the next day.
Forms are everywhere you look–we rely on them for nearly everything from searching for information to ordering some goods to balancing your checkbook. As anybody who has encountered a poorly-designed form can attest, when forms are confusing or difficult to use they have the power to bring everything else down with them. A truly evil form can send your world spiraling out of control into a cycle of horror and dismay.
Obviously, good form design skills are critical–they could spell the difference between running your website like the RMS Queen Elizabeth II and running it like the Titanic. Until recently, there was no standard guide to help web designers through the treacherous swamps of form design. In May 2008, Luke Wroblewski let loose his Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks, the book that might be just what we have been craving.
From cover to cover, Web Form Design is an easy read with ample pictures that clearly illustrate its concepts. Concrete examples are demonstrated that address many different aspects of form design. Additionally, this book isn’t filled with pages upon pages of dry writing, each chapter is an ocean of knowledge that gets right down to business and thrusts the facts of research straight in front of your eyeballs. Throughout the book, Mr. Wroblewski presents the results of a solid foundation of usability testing so that your design decisions can be based on actual results instead of personal preference. Finally, each chapter ends with a summary overview of the main points–definitely a helpful feature that augments the learning process.
Most importantly, Wroblewski doesn’t just stop at the layout of web forms, he touches on every aspect of web form design. He warns about unnecessary fields, gives pointers on constructing useful error and success messages, and provides ideas on dynamic form behavior and gradual engagement.
I highly recommend Luke Wroblewski’s Web Form Design for anyone who is even thinking about designing a form for the web. Best of all, you can save a tree and have it right now by purchasing it in DRM-free PDF format. What more could you ask for?
Forms are everywhere you look–we rely on them for nearly everything from searching for information to ordering some goods to balancing your checkbook. As anybody who has encountered a poorly-designed form can attest, when forms are confusing or difficult to use they have the power to bring everything else down with them. A truly evil form can send your world spiraling out of control into a cycle of horror and dismay.
Obviously, good form design skills are critical–they could spell the difference between running your website like the RMS Queen Elizabeth II and running it like the Titanic. Until recently, there was no standard guide to help web designers through the treacherous swamps of form design. In May 2008, Luke Wroblewski let loose his Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks, the book that might be just what we have been craving.
From cover to cover, Web Form Design is an easy read with ample pictures that clearly illustrate its concepts. Concrete examples are demonstrated that address many different aspects of form design. Additionally, this book isn’t filled with pages upon pages of dry writing, each chapter is an ocean of knowledge that gets right down to business and thrusts the facts of research straight in front of your eyeballs. Throughout the book, Mr. Wroblewski presents the results of a solid foundation of usability testing so that your design decisions can be based on actual results instead of personal preference. Finally, each chapter ends with a summary overview of the main points–definitely a helpful feature that augments the learning process.
Most importantly, Wroblewski doesn’t just stop at the layout of web forms, he touches on every aspect of web form design. He warns about unnecessary fields, gives pointers on constructing useful error and success messages, and provides ideas on dynamic form behavior and gradual engagement.
I highly recommend Luke Wroblewski’s Web Form Design for anyone who is even thinking about designing a form for the web. Best of all, you can save a tree and have it right now by purchasing it in DRM-free PDF format. What more could you ask for?
sealfur's review against another edition
4.0
A great summary of what works and doesn't work when designing web forms. Interesting pointers and starting places to think through the problems that a complicated form can create.
kelchup's review against another edition
4.0
A solid, comprehensive look at great form design. I love the "it depends" catch phrase, as this really is most of design. IT is slightly outdated now, and doesn't include any responsive or mobile consideration - but still holds as a great platform for how to go about designing web forms.
horseknickers's review against another edition
4.0
Pulls together all the things we know about how people interact with web forms. Not only details best practices for building forms, but also shares some empirical data behind the recommendations.
jacklynn's review against another edition
4.0
I mean, 5 stars if you're into practical ux design books, 1 star if you're into romance novels
jaeclectic's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, which probably says a lot about exactly what kind of geek I am. Mmm, web forms!
But seriously: this is an excellent overview of the subject, and provides good data and reasoning for the recommendations given. If you work with web forms, it's worth a read.
But seriously: this is an excellent overview of the subject, and provides good data and reasoning for the recommendations given. If you work with web forms, it's worth a read.
mattsheehe's review
3.0
A look at web forms and the best practices for various types of forms.
Mr. Wroblewski (which is fun to try and say) begins his book with a simple declaration: nobody likes forms. Forms, from an end-user perspective, are what stands between them and what they actually want, be it a product they are ordering, or data they want to see, or even an application they want to use.
Early chapters of the book focus on minimizing forms as much as possible, and, as such, reducing the overhead a user has to getting to their destination. Later chapters get more detailed with discussions of how to show (or, better, avoid) errors and how to help users fill in the form quickly and easily. All of the examples of various layouts and presentations are backed up with studies (usually of the "eye-tracking" variety) to show that the conclusions drawn are less about the author's preference and more about how people interact with the web.
Recommended for anyone who's designing a form.
Mr. Wroblewski (which is fun to try and say) begins his book with a simple declaration: nobody likes forms. Forms, from an end-user perspective, are what stands between them and what they actually want, be it a product they are ordering, or data they want to see, or even an application they want to use.
Early chapters of the book focus on minimizing forms as much as possible, and, as such, reducing the overhead a user has to getting to their destination. Later chapters get more detailed with discussions of how to show (or, better, avoid) errors and how to help users fill in the form quickly and easily. All of the examples of various layouts and presentations are backed up with studies (usually of the "eye-tracking" variety) to show that the conclusions drawn are less about the author's preference and more about how people interact with the web.
Recommended for anyone who's designing a form.
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