2002 Credit Union Website Usability Issue Two - Crucial Forms Lack Guidance

By Donovan Myers
Posted on Jan 2, 2003

Think about how your member conducts business in your physical branch. If a member needs to withdraw or deposit funds, there is a form to complete. Are they applying for a loan? Another form. If they have a question, they ask to speak to a manager. Rarely do you need to teach a new member how to conduct business in person. But what works in person, doesn’t always translate to the Web.

A member will tolerate an average of three failed attempts to complete a task on a web site before she will quit. Most failures result from user error, and the user error is a result of forms that are difficult to use because of poor design or programming. If members cannot easily complete forms on your web site, they simply will not use them.

What exactly is your user supposed to do with this form?

The Fix: It is better to err on the side of simplicity and disclosure of detailed instructions than to display a vague form that leaves members feeling helpless and unsatisfied. Provide clear instructions, but more importantly, design and program your forms to catch common user errors and automatically correct them. Also, study the methods popular sites like Amazon.com and CNN.com use to construct forms and then mimic them on your own site.