A List Apart: Articles: Inline Validation in Web Forms

A very worthwhile article on Web form usability and validation.

A List Apart: Articles: Inline Validation in Web Forms: "You can blame most forms’ poor etiquette on the way they’re built. Web forms that use a basic submit-and-refresh model of interactivity don’t respond until you hit the “submit” button—but it doesn’t have to be this way. Real-time inline validation can help people complete web forms more quickly and with less effort, fewer errors, and (surprise!) more satisfaction.

To better understand the design considerations behind inline validation, I worked with Etre, a London-based usability firm, to test 22 average users on six variations of a typical web registration form. Aramys Miranda developed the form we used with our users, who ranged in age from 21 to 49.

Of our six forms, the control version validated input only when someone clicked its “create account” button. The other five versions used different methods of inline validation. We measured success rates, error rates, completion times, satisfaction ratings, and standard eye-tracking metrics for each variation. We presented each form randomly to minimize familiarity bias."