Using the iPad for data
collection offers enterprises many advantages. In addition to enabling enhanced
accuracy and real-time submissions, the tablet provides more processing power
than smartphones. iPad data collection on the field is also preferable due to
better data and battery consumption. Enterprises, however, may not get all the
benefits iPad forms have to offer if they’re not well-designed.
To help you create the
perfect fillable forms for iPad, here’s a quick list of Do’s and Don’ts from
makeen transform’s expert form designers.
3 Do’s of iPad Form Design
Here are the basic
principles our designers follow whenever they design forms for iPad.
1) Ensure Logical Clarity in Your iPad Forms
Make sure your forms
instantly communicate their purpose. To achieve this, here are some quick tips
to get you started.
- Use a meaningful name for your forms. If you’re
‘mobilizing’ a paper form used in your enterprise, use the same name as
the paper form.
- Add text
labels before input fields. Keep these short, succinct, and descriptive to
allow users to easily scan them. Preferably keep your labels limited to
two words at most to ensure higher completion rates.
- If you feel extra context or
clarification is required, use help text instead of long labels. You can
also use placeholder text to add an example.
2) Keep Formatting in
Mind at All Times
The formatting of mobile
forms is important as it contributes to their accessibility. The following are
important tips to make input fields easier to scan and fill.
- Avoid using all caps while writing labels. Uppercase
text is harder to read since there is no difference in character height.
Moreover, users aren’t used to reading text in all caps.
- Ensure the
texts and fonts used in your form are legible. While we usually use 16px,
you are welcome to test font sizes to see which is most suitable for you.
- Carefully select the colors you
use in your form. Not only should they reflect your company’s branding,
but they also shouldn’t be too bright or too dark. According to W3C, small
texts should have a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against the background.
Meanwhile, larger texts (14px bold, or 18px and up) should have a ratio of
3:1.
3) Minimize the Effort
Users Put in Filling Forms
Users of your iPad forms
shouldn’t put too much effort into entering data. With that in mind, here are
some pointers to help you achieve this.
- Use form controls such as the Date Picker or Time
Picker to allow users to enter specific details easily.
- Pre-populate
fields with smart default values. For instance, if a user marks their
country as Australia, the country code before their numbers can be
pre-populated as +61.
- Provide real-time suggestions
or completions in a dropdown. This ensures information is entered
accurately and speeds data entry time.
3 Don’ts of iPad Form Design
Now that you know what
to do, here are the things to avoid while creating mobile forms for tablets.
1) Don’t Use Multi-Column Layouts
Form designers such as Transform
Studio allow you to place
controls either in vertical or horizontal orientation. However, when designing
mobile forms for iPad, the horizontal orientation leads to multi-column
layouts. These affect usability since:
- Users may skip fields where they actually have data to
input.
- Users may
mistakenly input data into the wrong fields.
- Time is wasted while users
puzzle over how to proceed with inputting data.
You may only use the
multi-column design for inputs which are thought of linearly or as a coherent
entity. Examples include first and last names; and zip, city, and state fields.
2) Avoid Creating Long Mobile Forms
You may be tempted to
use more input fields since users can scroll through them in portrait mode.
However, long forms tend to be too complex. Moreover, you cannot assume users
will only use the portrait mode.
If you have a long form,
consider breaking it down into several tabs. Logically group fields and spread
them across several tabs. For instance, input fields in an Environmental
Checklist can be divided into
Chemical Management, Erosion and Sediment Control, Water Management, and Air
Quality and Dust tabs.
3) Don’t Limit Yourself to Text Fields
One of the biggest
advantages of creating fillable forms for iPad is the different input field
types you can use. With more space available, you can use the following form
controls easily:
- Toggle Buttons – Toggle
buttons (Switch control in Transform Studio) can be used when a user has
to decide between two values (e.g. Yes and No). You can use these instead of
dropdown lists on your forms.
- Sliders
– Form users will enjoy the
speed and ease of data entry offered by the Slider control. By moving the
slider, they can select prices, quantities, and much more.
- Date and Time Pickers – Allow users to select the date and time easily rather
than input these values manually.
Keep these Dos and
Don’ts in mind while creating your mobile forms for tablets to get the most
value.
If you wish to see iPad
forms in action, try our collection of
pre-designed mobile forms. Download makeen transform App, tap on ‘Ready2Use’, and submit
away.
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