Why Does Submitting a Form Require Two Steps?
Many form processors let visitors submit a form in only one step: users fill in the form, and are done after pressing the submit button. With FormSmarts, there is an extra confirmation step, during which users are invited to review and confirm the information submitted. There are two strong reasons why we added the confirmation step.
The first reason is quality. FormSmarts is typically used for transaction where the information submitted is important. Important because the information collected is intended to be read by humans, rather than machines. Important because this information is often intended to be acted upon.
By allowing users to review and modify their submission, we increase the accuracy of the information you get in the end.
Form users understand that, and it increases their confidence that you value the information they are sending you. Most of times, confirmation will only add a few seconds to the whole transaction.
The second reason is security and usability. Many form submissions are automated, or even manual spamming attempts, known as form spam or comment spam.
When a user presses the submit button, a lot more happens on the server than you may suspect. If we spot a likely spamming attempt, we'll ask the user to complete one or more tests (e.g. CAPTCHA test) on the confirmation page. But in the same time, the bulk of users will never be asked to waste time on a CAPTCHA test.
Posted on Wednesday, 23 April, 2008 at 05:59 in form-handler
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Tags: form-spam, usability, form-handler
Form Processor Upgrade: More Interactivity for Web Form Users and More
We'll be upgrading at the end of the week some key components of FormSmarts. The changes will affect both form users and form owners.More Interactivity for Web Form Users
- form users can modify any invalid data they may have submitted in the same page, rather than having to press the back button
- form users can modify submitted data even when form data is not cached by the browser, or if JavaScript is disabled
- we've added features to improve the experience of visually-impaired users equipped with screenreaders
Changes in Email Notification of Form Results
- new email subject format [Form #123] My Form Name #456
- the first part [Form #123] is fixed so that you can use it to create a filter within your mail client
- emails now include a unique transaction ID, e.g. #456 that can be used, for example, as an order number for order forms (form users are shown the transaction ID on the confirmation page)
- whenever your form contains an email field, you can now reply to sender hitting the reply button in your email client
- because of the previous point, we no longer show your pass-phrase in every email
Posted on Tuesday, 15 April, 2008 at 05:01 in form-handler
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Tags: form-handler, web-forms, upcoming
FormSmarts Compared with Other Form Handlers
What's specific about FormSmarts form handler? Compared with other web form handlers, FormSmarts may not offer yet the richest set of features. We currently only deliver form results by email, although other form delivery methods are under development.We believe our Ajax-based form builder allows our users—including those with little technical knowledge—to get an HTML form ready in very little time, and that's something we wanted. Simplicity, efficiency and usability were our primary design goals.
That being said, FormSmarts is best viewed as a web spam blocker with form handling features, rather than a form handler with form spam prevention features.
Form accessibility is another strong point of FormSmarts: our web forms are usable by anyone, using any HTML-capable browser.
Unlike most other form handlers available today, FormSmarts was puposedly designed to block form spam. We didn't simply add a CAPTCHA to an old formmail script. The same applies to our form builder: our care for usability and accessibility didn't come as an afterthought.
Posted on Sunday, 09 December, 2007 at 09:06 in form-handler
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Tags: form-handler, web-forms
