Hi, I'm working with classified websites, and they are using address verification & suggestions in many cases, especially for 'place an ad' activity.
Some thoughts on that; 1. FALLBACK METHOD There's no 100% complete address DB, or 100% reliable one. In some cases administrative boundaries are simply changing too fast. New streets are created, zip codes assignments are changing, new zip codes are appearing etc. You should always provide a way to enter address data without verification. In other words - positive address verification should be a helpful tool not a strict requirements. Sometimes user simply knows better where he live :) 2. DATA INPUT IN NATURAL WAY The issue is valid for address suggestions. You should always stick to natural ways of fields filling. Address fields are expected to be TEXT fields, user can TYPE his data in. Although geo-location databases are providing you with choices it is better to use them as suggestions rather than regular SELECT options. 3. PERSISTENT HINTS When address verification takes place - keep help messages / hints always visible. Your users will tend to feel disoriented with additional activity often invoked without their explicit action (address verification in AJAX for example). Click heatmaps always show the same in such case - users are clicking desperately in near by area to find any hint what had actually happen. So keep in mind, that this part of the form is usually time consuming. 4. POLITE MESSAGE Message provided to the user in case of the negative verification result should be really polite, also it must contain clear info "what to do if my address is not recognized as valid"?. I assume you're not interested in users running away from your site. 5. "VERIFY ADDRESS" button hels Though it is technically possible to verify address by ajax scripting, you should provide additional button that allows user to verify his address manually. This might be also important due to accessibility requirements. If you have any questions, let me know pls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=49422 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
