On Jul 18, 2006, at 7:49 AM, Peter Goddard wrote:
IMHO, as well as the form is styled (and let's face it - it's just a
gradient background to the fieldset basically that gives it the
'look')
That's an unnecessarily patronizing comment ...lets face it -
relativity theory is just E=MC² ;)
the issue of usability rears its head. I think the form is a great
example of tableless design, but is it user friendly? - no!.
Its too long with too many sections, I personally wouldn't even
attempt
to fill it in.
The client determined the content of the form. Their purpose was to
*filter out* people who "wouldn't even attempt to fill it in".
If the sections on arrest records and drug usage required more than
just clicking "no" and you are not willing to detail the
circumstances, then let's face it, you're not a suitable candidate
for an institution emphasizing high standards of character and
behavior …especially perseverance.
So you see, while "user friendly" forms may be preferred when selling
T-shirts, "user intimidating" forms are useful for filtering out
superficial people where high standards of employment are expected.
If a long form is too intimidating you probably had somebody else
write your doctoral thesis ;)
As for those concerned about the single page issue, I see that as a
printed page paradigm. I see little cost/benefit to "turning pages"
and all the additional work (and expense) of carrying post arguments
backwards and forwards throughout all the case-switch cgi, vs.
scrolling up or down ...for the purpose of *this* form. If the
purpose of the form was merchandising, I would agree with the added
cost of the step by step "keep their short attention span occupied -
don't lose the sale" multi page approach. But that's not a printed
page paradigm, it's a "talk in short simple sentences" paradigm.
In any event, my first attempt left me very disappointed at the lack
of standards compliance among browsers where CSS forms are concerned.
It should be the primary focus of browser engineering and the CSS
"language" since forms are the primary user interface of the web.
Frankly, table layout of forms is still easier, quicker and less
trouble. How are clearing divs superior to cells? Especially when
browsers are inconsistent in their interpretation? Seems to me we've
just replaced spacer gifs with spacer divs.
Dean
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