December 16, 2005
Well explained forms
I like any forms we do to be well explained. You have to account for the lowest common denominator. It’s very important that any web based forms are well laid out, clearly explained, and very intuitive. There’s an amazing amount of work making a form reach all of these goals, and most clients wouldn’t even notice the work that goes into them
That’s all well and good, but sometimes you see explanations gone mad. See the above - it’s great that they explain what the card numbers are (see red text).
What’s with Bankcard customers needing to call?
Merry Christmas/Festive Season/Late December and Happy Next 365 days to all. :)
Image: Screengrab from an Australian e-commerce payment form.
Cat: | Time: 11:22 am (UTC+8)
December 16th, 2005 at 10:01 pm
There’s no algorithm to validate bankcards - so I’m guessing that rather than letting them just enter anything they want to inconvenience bankcard users instead.
Anyway, I don’t understand what they mean by “Name on card” - they haven’t explained that one. The name on my card is “American Express” :)
December 18th, 2005 at 1:42 pm
That’s great, and yeah, what is Name on Card? My numbers are a few mm towards the bottom of my card - shall I be worried? Should I take my card back?
Which retailer is this anyway?
December 19th, 2005 at 11:50 am
I hope that’s an old payment form - because AFAIK we don’t need to collect card type data any more (VISA, Diners, Mastercard etc) … it’s not required.
Shame they couldn’t do the expiry date properly though in the MM/YY format it is on the card - that could confuse people. It’s funny when you ring up the bank and they ask for your card expiry date, and you say “August 2006″ … that confuses them because even a human operator needs it in the MM/YY format :)
Did the card type icons have alt text? I mean, even with images turned on and at a decent resolution I don’t sure for sure what that first one is …
December 20th, 2005 at 1:17 pm
You can find the form in question at this URL: http://www.subscribenow.com.au/home/mpurchase.asp?m=10017&src=9002 The screengrab is at 100%, so that is the icon size.
I don’t think Bankcard users hsould have to call - make em fill the form in, and then call them if need be - that’s just lazy for the retailer.
January 11th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
I love it when you go to a contacts page on a website and they list their website address. I always think that’s for the sort people who ring It support lines to complain about their cupholders.
January 11th, 2006 at 7:45 pm
[…] In a previous post I pointed out an example of stating the obvious. Well, it’s back - munching on a Christmas present, ‘Walkers Chocolate Covered Nuts of the World’, I spotted a notice on the back that made me wonder where will this ever end? […]