Publication
Putting users first: the principles of form design
From gov.ie forms
Published on
Last updated on
From gov.ie forms
Published on
Last updated on
The HSE and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer have created a forms governance agreement that will apply to the creation of all digital forms for users of government services.
This agreement sets out how the HSE and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will create and manage online forms.
1. We will design forms to meet users’ needs
We will take a user experience design approach. Each form will meet users’ needs.
We will write content in plain English and aim for a reading age of 9, so that everyone can understand it. Forms will load easily on any device. We will test forms in older browsers.
2. We will use a question protocol
Every question we ask takes time and effort for the person answering the question. If we don’t need the answer to a question, we should not ask the question. We need to get the right information to deliver the service and no more than that.
A question protocol makes us question why we are asking users for each piece of information. It provides a way of removing unnecessary questions.
Our question protocol is to only include a question on a form if we know:
We will work with services to document the question protocol answers.
3. We will use a style guide
The HSE and OGCIO will agree a unified style guide for forms. This will include rules for various input fields in our forms.
4. We will use content and UX designers to design our forms
Only content designers and UX designers will design our forms. This is to keep the quality and accuracy of forms to a high standard.
5. We will not publish forms in PDF format
We will publish forms online as digital forms. PDF versions of forms will not be available to download online. They can only be used by services to post to people who cannot access the digital version online. Services should provide contact details where people can request service information or forms in other formats, if they can't or don't want to use the service online.
6. We will publish accessible forms
Forms will be accessible for people with disabilities and be created with inclusivity in mind.
Our forms will:
7. We will test forms with users
We will test forms with users during the design process.
8. We will improve existing forms
We will not just convert existing PDF forms into a digital version. We will also improve them in line with the principles of this agreement. We may need to reduce the number of fields and pages or merge forms, if it provides a better service to the user.
9. We will keep people’s information safe and tell them why we ask for it
For any new form, we will complete a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) that is easy to understand.