7 CHARACTERISTICS OF A FORM - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

A form is a legal document in which a series of parameters are established that must be filled in by the person who is using it. These documents are used in situations that require collecting specific data from an equal number of people.

The forms are usually used by public institutions to collect basic information about the people who fill it out, such as: name, surname, identity document number, profession, residence address, work address or telephone number.

Other more specific fields are also usually required, aimed at responding to the area of ​​responsibility of the person making the form. In surveys, the forms are also extremely useful, because the basic data of the respondent is completed and the questions are then asked.

In the digital world, forms have found their new home through the internet. Before registering in any social network, creating an email or responding to a request, it is necessary to fill out a form with the personal data required to carry out any of these processes.

The creation of forms is a task that many people are engaged in today, and it is focused on collecting the largest number of data with the least number of lines possible, to achieve an instrument according to current hourly needs.

Important features of forms

In the forms, for your full understanding, a series of fundamental characteristics and aspects can be identified.

In addition, these characteristics are closely related to the objectives and the eventual success that the form can have.

Identification of the institution that performs it

First of all, the person filling out a form must know who they are doing it for. This is of vital importance because the credibility of the answers provided by the person making the form depends on the correct identification of the body that makes the form.

In the upper left or central part of the forms you will usually find the logo of the institution that performs it, as well as some of its additional information, such as the full name, address or telephone number.

This characteristic is also repeated in the forms that are made online, in which at the top of the page they are identified with the name of the company and its corporate image.

Graphic distribution

Designers also have a job when they can establish the structure of a form. The division into a number of lines and rows, as well as columns and rows is an art that requires work and effort.

The purpose of this is none other than to make a space much more attractive for those who are filling it.

The person who reads and completes the form should feel comfortable with the format, so the graphic distribution cannot overload certain areas of it so as not to bother the reader. This characteristic is also related to the space that you have to complete.

Number of rows

Another of the tasks involved in completing forms is that the number of lines is not excessive.

Most of the forms divide into categories each of the sectors for which you want to consult. However, the best forms are those with a smaller number of lines.

This is because time constraints make filling out a short form a more attractive option than a longer one.

However, there are also forms that are much longer because they require more precise information. With this in mind, at the top, many forms advise the reader of the approximate response time.

Collection of personal data

A general and common characteristic that most forms have is that the first thing that is requested is to complete the personal data of the person.

Many of them only limit themselves to asking about this area, while others go into more detail, depending on their purpose.

The first and last name of the person are characteristics that are always filled in, unless a survey is being carried out.

In addition to these data, requests for nationality, address, contact numbers, occupation, close relatives, identity document, blood types, among many other things, are often frequent. The amount of data required will depend exclusively on the purpose of the form.

Space to write

Closely related to the design of the form; This document should have a comfortable writing space in which most people decide to respond clearly and fluently.

Regardless of whether it is an electronic or physical form, the space to write is one of the essential characteristics for a good form.

However, there are always lines that have limits. For example, you cannot enter an excessively long telephone number, nor an address that exceeds certain characters.

Especially in banking matters, this is a criticism that many people have of the forms, because they must shorten their room address due to the imposed limit of the space to write.

Division between letters

The more specific forms require that you write letter by letter to achieve greater clarity and prevent possible errors that can be made.

Especially in forms issued by government institutions in physical form, this is usually one of the main characteristics, because in this way the data is completed as accurately and legibly as possible.

However, people who fill out these types of forms often complain because this stop in writing makes it necessary to invest more time.

Numerical classification

Always thinking about the order, a form must have a numeric serial that indicates how many have been issued in a certain time, since its printing was ordered. In this way, you keep track of how many people have filled out the form.

In addition, many forms have the option of adding codes related to the characteristics of the person, such as their place of residence or gender. All this depends on the statistical collection that will be done later with the information.

References

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3. Formulate Information Design. (January 15, 2008). What makes a good form? Formulate Information Design. Recovered from formulate.com.au.
4. Murcia Development Institute. (sf). Electronic form. Murcia Development Institute. Recovered from institutofomentomurcia.es.
5. Madaio, M. (August 23, 2016). The New Rules of Form Design. UX Booth. Recovered from uxbooth.com.
6. (sf). Different functions in the form design process. Microsoft. Recovered from support.office.com
7. (March 23, 2017). Characteristics and function of electronic forms and forms. Uninotes. Recovered from uninotas.net.