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If there is a possibility that users would wish to select any option there should be an “Any” option. |
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Indicate required fields indicated by use of an asterisk, color highlighting or some other obvious visual cue. |
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Group related fields together. |
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Accept field entries in common formats. |
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If the entry is alphabetical, left-justify it. |
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If the entry is numeric and uses a decimal point, right-justify it. |
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If the users cannot change the contents of a field temporarily, gray out the contents, but not the background color or the label. |
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Contingent fields on a form - when fields "b" and "c" are dependent on field "a" being answered in a particular way, if possible arrange that the contingent fields appear on the next page. That way it is easy to show them or not show them.
If this is not possible have an area below the initial field change on the same page to show or not show the contingent fields. If this is not possible, show all contingent fields in grayed-out format, “un-gray” them as the initial field is answered. |
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Use progress bars used for more extensive forms. They are very user-friendly
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Form labels should end with a colon. |
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Whenever feasible, allow users to select an option by clicking on its label. |
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Provide a confirmation screen is provided for form submittal, and in any situation where a user could lose data by proceeding, such as quitting out of a process. |
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Labels on forms should be left aligned to allow users to scan and locate a particular field quickly. In some rare instances, when the length of the labels vary significantly, it is acceptable to right align labels. |
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Labels on forms should use sentence style capitalization, capitalizing only the first word of the label. (Labels for menu items, buttons, and tabs should use book title capitalization, that is each word should be capitalized unless it is an article or preposition.) |
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When the user misses fields in a form, display missed fields in isolation if possible. Don’t make the user hunt for red asterisks. |
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The use of a “Reset” button should be avoided. |
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For all widgets and controls not specifically mentioned in this styleguide, please refer to the Microsoft Windows Official Guidelines for User Interface Developers and Designers which can be found at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp.url=/library/en-us/dnwue/html/welcome.asp |
Roy Zornow
MS Word version 
