On this page
Here are some of the main points regarding building forms in iApply.
Start page
The starting point for public-facing transactions should be a service page, known as a call to action (CTA) page, on SA.GOV.AU.
Service pages are the start of the user journey. You need to think about the CTA page before you design your form and make sure the information on the CTA page is consistent with what's in the form.
Example of a CTA: SA.GOV.AU - Apply to modify a light motor vehicle
Creating forms
Be absolutely clear about what your form is for.
Forms should enable a user to complete one task only. Forms that focus on a single task are:
- easier for users to find and complete
- easier to build because they require fewer instructions and less conditional logic
- easier to process and report on.
Only collect what you need. If you're not going to use a piece of information, don't ask for it.
Find ways to make things simpler.
Even if you're just creating an online version of an existing form, always look for opportunities to make things better. This could involve:
- reducing the number of steps
- changing the order of questions
- changing the wording
- getting rid of unnecessary detail.
Once inside a transaction, don't repeat what's on the CTA page. When a user clicks 'Start now' they expect to go straight to the thing they want to do. They don't want to be presented with the same information they've already been given.
Structuring questions
Questions can be asked as full-sentence question labels or as text labels.
Example - Full-sentence question label - What is your residential address?
Example - Text label (that is, 1-4 words) - Residential address
Use text labels as much as possible but use full-sentence questions if a text label is ambiguous or it is difficult to phrase the question as a text label.
Aim for concise rather than short as additional words can aid comprehension.
Try to be consistent.
Writing style
Use sentence case everywhere - for form titles, page titles, questions, labels, and error messages.
Use plain English and the vocabulary of the target audience. Avoid jargon, technical terms, 'officialese' and internal language.
Full question sentences should end with a question mark ('?').
Labels should never end with a colon or full stop, or contain brackets or slashes. For example use - 'suburb or town' - 'not suburb/town'.
'Please' is only used in the iApply error summary page template.
Help text
If users need it, you can add help text to nudge them in the right direction. Try starting without any help text and only include it once you have evidence it's needed.
Use help text in the following ways:
- placeholder text for short pieces of text
- information alerts for lots of text.
Placeholder text field level example:
Information alert field level example:
Information alert group field level example:
Information alert page level example:
Error messages
Use form validation to make sure a user has filled out all mandatory fields in the correct format.
Do what you can to help users avoid failing validation and getting an error message. Set up your validation so it’s as tolerant as possible of users entering information in different ways.
Use standard messages for different fields when you can.
Use the full-sentence question label or field text label in the error message to provide context. For example, for the question 'What is your full name?' or the field label 'Full name' the error message for:
- no data - ‘Enter your full name’
- too many characters - 'Full name must be 150 characters or less'.
The same message is shown next to the field and in the error summary.
The iApply error message by default is 'Please enter a value for [whatever it is]' so you'll need to change this every time you enter a new field that isn't in a template or base form. Refer to the Components page.
Components
The Components page has instructions to build your forms.
Form components include:
- reusable elements like templates
- controls used to build the form like textboxes, calculations, and HTML content
- a control editor to change how the form fields work.
Normally the first page of a form is 'Personal details'. Only use a 'Before you begin' page if absolutely necessary - ie to check eligibility.
Data dictionary
The Data dictionary is a set of best practice guidance for specific user-focused tasks and input types for use in iApply or other forms platforms.