BFMA Forms Management Book of Knowledge - Sec 1 and 2

Forms / Template Design and Development 101 / 345 providers in the print industry are already familiar with them, it would be simple to adopt them as well. Other countries, government levels or organizations may also have established quality standards. More references on print quality. − Print Quality29 − The Offset Printing Quality Standards Checklist30 − Print quality produced by computer printers31 − ISO 1264732 defining standards for the printing industry − Quality levels and guides for printing33 − US standards for Public Printing and Documents34, − Example of a Specification summary specifying print quality35 level of stationery items for the use of ministers and parliamentary secretaries. 29 Techopedia, “Print Quality” 30 The Offset Pressman, “The Offset Printing Quality Standards Checklist” 31 Computer Hope, “Print quality produced by computer printers”, updated 11/13/2018 32 Prepressure.com, “ISO12647” 33 Public Services and Procurement Canada, “Quality levels and guides for printing” 34 U.S. Department of the Interior Publishing Council, “ U.S. Government Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines, Title 44 – Public Printing and Documents”, U.S. Department of the Interior, January 2, 2006

Forms / Template Design and Development 102 / 345 Binding and packaging – Forms come in different sizes and shapes. Some are loose leaf, some in sets, others in pads, booklets, foldout brochures, folders, envelopes, labels, boxes, etc. Several factors must be considered when selecting binding and packaging methods and quantities: • Individual usage. • Number of using locations. − Frequency of use. There are production, binding and packaging standards for each product type. For example A corporate letterhead is printed in single sheets. When ordering several thousand, one needs to consider how they will be distributed and stored. There are a few methods to consider, such as:  Banding single sheets in groups of 25 or 50 and packaging in 500 sheets (that is 20 bands of 25 or 10 bands of 50). 35 Federal Identity Program Manual, “Specification summary A – Items for use by ministers and parliamentary secretaries”, Government of Canada.

Forms / Template Design and Development 103 / 345  Or package in 100, 250, 500 or 1,000 single sheets. About multipart forms Most understand that a When packaging multipart forms, one needs to multipart form includes consider how may parts (“plies”) per form to establish more than one page or the equivalent number of 500 sheets per package. parts.  A 3-part form may be packaged with 150 or 200 For example forms, yielding 450 or 600 sheets Page 1 = part 1 of a form  A 5-part form packaged with 100 forms (500 sheets). Page 2 = part 2 of a form and so on. Envelope manufacturers have standards for packaging and boxing. One could have envelopes To manufacturers, banded in a fixed number or have separators inserted each page within a in the box at every X number of envelopes. This is multipart form is also to help distribution. known as a ply. There are multiple plies in a unit set. Some of the more common bindings found with forms are:  Unit sets with a perforated tab at top.  Sets glued at top.  Unit sets bound into books with and without covers.  Glued pads.  Side stitch, saddle stitch.  Plastic or spiral or wire bound.

Forms / Template Design and Development 104 / 345 Whatever the form product being developed for print production, print providers remain important partners. When unsure of the process to follow, print method or product to use, they gladly help research and explain options and support the Forms Management Program in their endeavors. TECHNOLOGY Whether we are talking about computer technology, forms development software, print technology, forms processing technology, form scanners and readers, workflow process technology, or other equipment used by or in conjunction with forms, they all come with their sets of standards, conventions, and programming languages. Forms Management Program staff must be familiar with the standards of their organization’s approved technology platform, including those applying to forms, templates, application development and printers. Just as important, forms developers need to analyze forms requests individually in light of the different form output versions they are to develop and deploy, and ensure each output version is developed using the appropriate standards, style guide, conventions. Most of these should be included in the Forms Style Guide or referred to in the Forms Policy.

Forms / Template Design and Development 105 / 345 To ensure Program staff can perform their activities and responsibilities, the Program head must see that the necessary tools are installed on the forms development platform. For example When developing accessible forms, developers and Program staff need to be able to test forms in development to ensure standards and features were applied in compliance with the Forms Style Guide or other established guides, that scripted features work and behave as intended using the appropriate technology. The development area provides access to the same assistive technology as that deployed in the production environment. The language dictionary that corresponds to the language used on forms needs to be activated to enable spell check and grammar check functions. When forms are to be deployed in foreign languages, it is essential the forms developers access foreign language keyboard layouts and dictionaries. When choosing forms development software, it is important to list key development criteria, standards and functions requirements to ensure the selected software meets them to provide the required functionality.

Forms / Template Design and Development 106 / 345 For example If all forms now need to be made accessible, the technology used to develop forms needs to demonstrate it can meet this legislated requirement. Or if electronic signatures are a mandatory element management wishes to implement in its forms, then the selected forms development software must satisfy this requirement. There are staffing and resource implications when new forms systems or software are added without retiring older systems. If older systems and the associated forms are not transitioned to the new system or not retired, this requires forms development in two systems, maintenance, support and staff training in two systems and more. This comes at a significant cost and effort to the Program and to the organization. Many varied industry standards could apply to any given form, depending on the intended purpose and output format versions. The list could go on and on. The Forms Management Program staff need to evaluate each form request or project on a case-by-case basis in order to determine which standards,

Forms / Template Design and Development 107 / 345 legislation, policies, products, output versions are best suited to provide the best form solution for the client and organization. Note: Since the appearance of new technologies, the forms management field of expertise has significantly evolved to adapt. It can be expected that more technologies and tools will appear in the future. It is important to remember that new technology may result in forms being developed through new media and their development depend on new sets of industry standards. However, the basic principles by which a Forms Management Program approaches forms solutions and development continue to apply.

Forms / Template Design and Development 108 / 345 Layout standards In addition to industry, web or accessibility standards, there exist a number of other relevant standards such as:  The international standard for date (YYYY-MM-DD) and time (HH:MM:SS) or organization standards and when to apply each.  Postal standards (specific to countries or regions).  Standards and conventions for the display and writing of telephone numbers (varies depending on what continent: e.g., the standard for North America is different from that in Europe). …and others. All standards are to be referenced to and included in the organization’s Forms Style Guide and updated as necessary and applied on every project.

Forms / Template Design and Development 109 / 345 FUNDAMENTALS What is a standard36? A standard is a commonly agreed way of doing things. It could be about:  Manufacturing a product.  Building methods.  Delivering a service.  Technology programming language. … and more. Field and subject matter experts (e.g., manufacturers, customers, trade associations, users, software developers, regulators, etc.) who hold good knowledge of their business needs, meet to discuss and jointly agree on a “common way” of doing things. This group of experts establishes requirements, specifications, guidelines, specific characteristics that can consistently be used to ensure that materials, products, services 36 The British Standards Institution, “What is a standard?”

Forms / Template Design and Development 110 / 345 result in the intended purpose and quality level. Then the standard goes through a formal approval process, which gives it authority. For example • The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council develops payment card industry data security standards. The Council, is comprised of organizations that store, process and transmit debit or credit cardholders’ data. • The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international body that develops standards for the web. • The International Standard Organization is an independent non-governmental organization with members from a large number of member countries. It develops international standards to facilitate world trade through common standards between nations. They have developed thousands and these are voluntary. There are standards on: − Telephone numbers. − Currency codes. − Country codes.

Forms / Template Design and Development 111 / 345 − Language codes. − Printing specifications for optical character recognition. …and many more. Once an organization adopts a known standard, it formally agrees to proceed according to the specified detail of the standard. Ideally it also publishes that standard and fosters adoption of it by others. The Forms Management Program adopts and applies a number of known standards to forms. For example • Paper standards. • Postal standards. • Barcode standards. • Telephone number format. Compliance with these standards is generally mandatory. Each organization establishes its own standards (e.g., branding, writing style, specific product layout). Some may include design standards. These are generally published or referenced in the Form Style Guide approved by the organization.

Forms / Template Design and Development 112 / 345 What is a guideline? Guidelines are standards that have flexibility. They have built-in exception clauses or room for interpretation. How does this apply? For example A form design standard might specify 14-point Arial Bold font for all titles and positioned in the upper right corner. But if a form is only 5” x 3” (125 x 75 mm), there may not be enough space for a title of that size. The upper right corner may be the location needed for the filing reference of the form. The ability to modify that design “standard” as needed means that it is really a design “guideline.” Most form design standards are really design guidelines. Guidelines are recommended ways of doing things and are not mandatory. Note: Once guidelines are formally approved by senior management and included in the Forms Style Guide, they effectively become standards and mandatory in the eyes of the organization and the Forms Management Program. The Program applies them and remains the authority in interpreting them, as necessary.

Forms / Template Design and Development 113 / 345 What is a convention? Conventions are similar to standards in that they are also agreements reached on given practice among a particular group. They are often localized, less formal and can be implicit or explicit. They come with documentation and their adoption by the group is informal. They also evolve over time. For example • Street signs are put: − On street corners in the US. − Along the road in the UK. − On building walls in Paris. • Table of contents are: − At the beginning of books printed in English. − At the end in books printed in French. • Placing a form title at the top of a form is a convention. • Placing an edition date after a form number as part of a form identifier is a convention.

Forms / Template Design and Development 114 / 345 • Matching data sequence of a form to an entry screen is a convention. Conventions are often based on proven practice: when it works well and is accepted, it becomes a convention. Each organization establishes its own conventions for forms design and development and publishes them in its Forms Style Guide. Typically, conventions are accepted but not mandatory unless stated as such in the Forms Style Guide. What is a best practice37? A best practice specifies a way of doing things that has generally been recognized and accepted as better. It has proven to produce better results than other alternatives and has become a “standard way” of doing things many organizations or fields of expertise can use. Best practices help maintain quality as an alternative to more mandatory or legislated standards. It often is the best-known method or technique to achieve a goal. These may be agreed to within an organization or shared so other organizations can benefit 37 Wikipedia, “Best practice”

Forms / Template Design and Development 115 / 345 from them as well, yet there is usually no formal accountability on whether they are used or not. For example It is better to avoid writing texts in ALL CAPS or italics since these text properties slow and impede readability. The advantage of using standards, conventions and best practices is that it helps organizations and businesses increase productivity while reducing errors and waste. Forms consistently developed using standards, conventions and best practices help users gain a level of ease and comfort in recognizing and using an organization’s forms. In the context of forms development, using standards, guidelines, conventions and best practices can help form developers so that:  Each and every design decision does not have to be thought of afresh.  They have a wealth of information to draw from and apply rather than to recreate new each time.  Existing forms and templates developed according to standards are compliant. They are stored and serve as models to create new or update existing forms and templates.

Forms / Template Design and Development 116 / 345  Users understand the information they are being asked to provide by ensuring that every form displays that same form element in a consistent manner. This also minimizes misunderstanding and helps ensure data accuracy when transmitted. For example To simplify and ensure consistent data exchange of date fields, organizations might decide that all date fields be displayed in the international standard date format38 – YYYY-MM-DD. It may also decide that if the date is allowed to be entered in other formats to ease user data entry, such as in the US date format – MM-DD-YYYY, that a program must be scripted to convert the US format to the ISO format for data exchange. For example Postal standards dictate envelope sizes and layout where address information is to be displayed with strict specifications as to the exact space allocated for the address location. Much of the postal standards directly affect forms design, layout and development. 38 Wikipedia, “ISO 8601”

Forms / Template Design and Development 117 / 345 It is important to comply with the postal standards of the country for mail to be sent, processed and delivered as expected. A change in weight, size or thickness of a letter, envelope or parcel can affect mail processing, delivery time frame, postage costs, even envelope printing costs. For example When making purchases online using a credit card, many often wonder whether they should enter the spaces between each set of 4 numbers displayed on the card itself. It would be reasonable to include instructions so users know how to enter their credit card number efficiently without generating data entry errors and frustration on the part of the user. Much of the standards, conventions and best practices are in place to address specific issues related to forms and affect how they are designed, laid out and developed. For example The Forms Style Guide may specify that all forms require a minimum margin of a half-inch all around the page. This may be because if the margin is smaller, the printers will not print the forms completely and information will be missing. Knowing the specifications of peripherals used with forms

Forms / Template Design and Development 118 / 345 enable developers to establish standards, conventions and best practices that ensure forms are developed to print on any printer. For example The Forms Style Guide may specify that any barcode requires a one-inch clear border around it. This may be a requirement of the barcode readers that are in use within the organization. Again, knowing the specifications of peripherals used is all important to ensure the forms work with the peripherals. Form layout standards often stem from universal principles of graphic design, or for online forms from web design standards and best practices. It is in the best interest of the Forms Management Program staff to be trained in professional graphic design and be familiar with the Forms Style Guide in order to apply good design practices to forms to optimize efficiency, facilitate data capture and data exchange.

Forms / Template Design and Development 119 / 345 BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYSIS When performing business process analysis and mapping business processes, business process analysts play a key role. They need to be aware of and sensitive to the possibility that standards may be involved in forms-related systems, in processing, manufacturing, or with external partners or providers. When meeting interested parties of a form project, it is important the analysts enquire about, collect and document any standard that is required as part of the business process that also needs to be part of the solution implemented. For example In meeting with external providers, it is mentioned that the printer for mass mailouts can only handle letter size format and insert or collate a maximum of 3 pages of X paper weight into the standard number 10 window envelope of a 9.5” x 4.25” size (104.775 x 241,3 mm), if they are to meet postal standards for regular postage. This is relevant information for the forms developer, indicating that legal size forms cannot be considered and that there are paper weight restrictions as well as a restricted number of pages that can be accepted. It is

Forms / Template Design and Development 120 / 345 important the business process analyst document this in order for the developer to proceed according to what is possible to realize within the technical limitations of their external provider and meet the organization’s planned postage budget. Such findings are important to the developer but also to the organization’s interested parties. This is why they need to be clearly documented in business cases, detailed requirements and specifications documents. For example In cases when the external provider’s restrictions proved to be an impediment to the intended business outcome (e.g., this project mailout has 5 pages of information to be mailed), then the business process analyst would need to submit alternate solutions or options, such as use a different external provider, review the information that is being sent to fit in 3 pages, possibly request a budget increase. Business process analysts need to be aware that standards do exist, need to be adhered to and impact forms development. When discussing solutions with interested parties, they can use this opportunity to mention that the organization and developers

Forms / Template Design and Development 121 / 345 comply with standards and that they are applied to forms when developed. It is in their interest to be familiar with the most common or most obvious standards, show standards applied to existing forms so that the audience can actually see the result, purpose and functionality. FORMS ANALYSIS Upon review of the business process analysis, maps, detailed requirements and specifications document received from the business process analyst, the forms analyst can assess and determine what standards, conventions and best practices need to be applied to a given forms project. For example In the requirements and specifications received from the business process analyst, it is mentioned that the printer for mass mailouts can only handle letter size format and insert or collate a maximum of 3 pages of X paper weight into the standard number 10 window envelope of a 9.5” x 4.25” size (104.775 x 241,3 mm), if they are to meet postal standards for regular postage.

Forms / Template Design and Development 122 / 345 The forms analyst may discuss business needs with the forms developer to arrive at possible forms design and construction options. The options take into account the technical restrictions imposed by the service provider and postal standards, or an alternate solution is developed if necessary. In some cases, this may require meeting the client, form owner and stakeholders to agree on an option, product, design change, or a change in the information included. In the end, the forms analyst will clearly state all information elements required on the form, which standards, legislation, policies, conventions and best practices to apply in its detailed requirements and specifications document for the developer to produce the form accordingly. FORMS DEVELOPMENT The Forms Style Guide remains the most important reference for forms development. It needs to be available to all staff and developers, whether internal or externally contracted. This is to ensure all forms, regardless of output media, are developed in a consistent manner.

Forms / Template Design and Development 123 / 345 As a rule, forms developers adhere to:  International standards, organization standards, guidelines, conventions, and best practices.  The national or regional standards that apply in the geographical area where the form will be used.  Their respective organization design and layout standards, guidelines, and conventions.  Approved design and layout for different types of forms specified in the Forms Style Guide. The forms developer develops each output version of the form using the standards, guidelines, conventions and best practices outlined in the Forms Style Guide and any other applicable guides that apply to each output media. The forms developer also takes care to include any other standard or convention that has been specified in the requirements and specifications document to address particular business needs. For example The specifications document asks that every time a form is received through mail by the organization or electronically

Forms / Template Design and Development 124 / 345 submitted to the organization, the form gets date stamped. The developer needs to assess all output versions to see how to meet this requirement. • A space may be required at the top right of the printed form. The printed forms received are stamped using a physical time date machine • Maybe the same space can be allocated to the PDF image of the completed form submitted electronically. The electronic versions are stamped using a scripted function calling the geographic locale current date and time when submitted, inserting and printing the details on the form’s allocated space. • The same time and date stamp obtained through the scripted program can be sent to the database in corresponding data fields to accept the information when receiving all the data transmitted. The developer would apply the standard date format adopted by the organization and the scripts are written using standard programming language agreed to by the organization. There may be a type weight and size difference between the date printed by the time date

Forms / Template Design and Development 125 / 345 machine and the one inserted in the eform, but the elements display in the same sequence. The forms developer lays out information elements in the same way they are on other forms for consistency, using the same terms, look and feel, terms and functions. To support these activities, the developer may have created models for this purpose or use form elements, objects or sections of forms that are already designed in a compliant way with the necessary standards and programming. DATA COLLECTION AND PRESENTATION Layout consistency eases the job of staff that handle and process the filled forms and information. Visual cues as to where the same information element appears on a form can accelerate processing activities. Further, consistent placement of form fields and barcodes can facilitate automated data capture through scanning. This is why the forms developer takes care to lay out information elements in the same way they are on other forms for consistency, using the same terms, look and feel, and functions. Many forms and application development software contain data fields already

Forms / Template Design and Development 126 / 345 pre-programmed and designed with various commonly known standards and conventions that can easily be applied to forms. For example When a computer’s region is located in North America, the default telephone number and fax fields use the 10-digit convention that includes the 3-digit area code and 7-digit telephone number. When located in another region of the world, the computer and software settings for those fields will default to that region’s convention. While following standards for display and data collection purposes when users fill the form, it’s even more crucial when data is collected electronically to be transmitted to systems and databases. The developer needs to use the recognized and approved scripting and programming languages to ensure data exchange is successful between the forms, different software, hardware, systems, applications and databases. The developer also needs to structure the form field to collect the data in a manner receivable by the intended system or database.

Forms / Template Design and Development 127 / 345 For example The database to which the telephone number is to be uploaded uses two fields: one for the area code and one for the telephone number rather than one field for the entire 10-digit number. Having validated the data model and data fields, the developer designs the form separating the area code field from the telephone number field. Alternatively, the developer keeps the telephone number field as one for the whole 10-digit number and programs the field to extract the first 3 numbers entered by the user for the database area code field and the last 7 for the database telephone number field. The developer needs to confirm the data field structure of each data field included on the form. This is necessary for the developer to lay out the form fields in a structure compatible with that of the database or system. When available, the developer can refer to existing data models to locate the correct data field names and syntax that correspond to form fields. (Note: Large organizations might have enterprise data models.) This is essential to program data mapping in form fields and for the data exchange to execute successfully.

Forms / Template Design and Development 128 / 345 If there is no data model or data fields to support the data to be collected on the form, the developer needs to collaborate with Information Technology data experts to either create data fields in existing databases or create a new database to meet these business needs. Standards and conventions, for either programming languages or design and display purposes, are essential for consistent forms development and data transmission. PRINT PRODUCTION The form product and the equipment and method with which it is produced often dictate the layout of a form, at least with respect to margins to ensure enough space is allocated to print the actual form image. Specifications vary between different print equipment, but as long as the recommended image print area is respected, any form should print, regardless of how the form information elements are laid out in that space. The Forms Style Guide, however, needs to outline specifications for organization printers, design particulars of specific print items or key external print providers using different equipment.

Forms / Template Design and Development 129 / 345 For example An organization issues several mailouts every week. There are ten different forms using the same design layout printed by one contracted external provider. The required layout is illustrated in the Forms Style Guide to ensure every form developer, internal or external, develops this type of form according to the specified design requirements for accurate printing and successful contract fulfillment. Whenever there are standards available, they are adopted and forms developers apply the standard design layout (e.g., envelopes, letterheads, labels, folders, boxes, barcodes). Forms developers are familiar with and apply the following standards for print production:  Paper types, products and standards, their size and weights. Some organizations adopt a specific paper as part of their branding.  Postal standards affecting forms design layout and display of addressing information or fields on the form to ensure efficient mail processing.

Forms / Template Design and Development 130 / 345  Ink colors and color systems when printing forms ensure accurate and desired color output. Some organizations adopt or have a specific ink color created as part of their branding.  Source file and image file resolution, print quality requirements.  Source file layout  Single page.  Multiple forms on one source file e.g., 2-up, 4-up, booklet.  Orientation.  Folds, grooves, cuts.  Product construction  Single sheet.  Multipart sets (all parts the same or parts different).  Self-mailers  Folders (for official records or other, with or without pockets, die cuts for business card insert or other).  Envelopes.

Forms / Template Design and Development 131 / 345  Labels (durability of material required, ink and adhesive type).  Pads.  Binding methods.  Glue standards.  Perforation. … and more.  Data mapping of form fields to ensure accurate and successful data exchange between forms, systems, applications and databases, either to populate data to print on forms from existing databases or upload user-entered data to systems and databases.  Security features (paper, watermarks, holograms, access restrictions, etc.).  Packaging options, standards or conventions based on known or estimated usage for distribution.  Existing product standards such as for envelopes, folders and labels.

Forms / Template Design and Development 132 / 345  When printing forms on demand on local or network printers, forms developers need to include the required printer drivers or configuration for printing to execute successfully. When eforms display in multiple online pages, the forms developer needs to consider how the form and form data will print:  Using the same single page format of the printed version? or  Using a new display layout version of the collected data with the form? TECHNOLOGY The technology, equipment and methods used to deploy forms in different output versions significantly contribute in determining the layout of a form. Specifications vary for the different technology and equipment used. Fortunately, many forms development software now contain a wide variety of existing conventions, forms design and field standards such as:

Forms / Template Design and Development 133 / 345  The form or page setup.  The different date and time formats used around the world, including the international format.  The different standards for displaying telephone numbers, the social security number with its required number of digits.  Email structure protocol.  File save, print or download functions.  File submit function.  Clear field or clear form function. … and so on. Each of these preset form fields also includes script on the form field display and behavior. Such advanced technology for forms development simplifies the forms developer’s effort when working on forms.  It ensures the correct standards are used.  In ensures that form field information displays properly and according to known standards or conventions.

 It allows the developers to create some of their own form Forms / Template Design and Development sections or models with preset information and field elements. 134 / 345 This means the forms developers can create models of form Create elements, objects or sections that can be used in whole or in once. part on multiple forms. They are developed once with the same Reuse! information layout, design and programming for infinite reuse, as required. They can include preset fields and custom programmed fields. Even if these models need to be modified for a specific purpose, most of the information elements are already set and minimal changes are needed to meet another form’s requirements. For example Most organization letterheads and stationery items follow the same design layout. There may be several to support different functional areas. The forms developer creates one letterhead source file, includes all the common elements such as the logo for branding, organization address and contact information, includes form fields for addressing information of the addressee, for the subject area, reference number, beginning of the body of the letter, closing and

Forms / Template Design and Development 135 / 345 signature block. Form fields are mapped as necessary or programmed, as applicable to ease the letter writing process. The same source file can be used to create any number of letterheads for other functional areas simply by modifying the name of the functional area and possibly the signature block in the appropriate zones of the form and the remaining elements on the form are functional as they are. A new form identifier is applied and voilà! Forms Management Program and forms developers determine where the use of models is most useful. Even before electronic technology, forms developers reused existing forms or parts of forms to create new ones. This is common procedure.

Forms / Template Design and Development 136 / 345 Form design standards, guidelines and best practices Form developers implement design elements and layout principles as specified in the Forms Style Guide. For example, naming conventions, zoning, balance, graphics, color, spacing, grouping, sequencing, typography (determined at the organization level) FUNDAMENTALS In the earlier sections, the importance and relevance of using industry and layout standards was explained. This section addresses standards, conventions, guidelines and best practices as they apply to form design in general. Like best practices, guidelines are general rules or principles, recommended practice or courses of action, that aim to streamline processes or guide organization staff, generally for more efficiency and higher quality. Like best practices, they are not mandatory or enforced (unless adopted and approved by senior management and included in the Forms Style Guide). The Program applies them and remains the authority in interpreting them, as necessary.

There is no question that form design has become more complex Forms / Template Design and Development with more technology, new delivery channels, and newly required 137 / 345 output versions. Standards, guidelines, conventions and best practices that apply to printed forms do not always work in Be the digital realm. conscious of New standards and form design best practices emerged to adapt universal to new technologies and are still evolving. It is highly important principles that Forms Management Program staff and developers keep of design. abreast of evolving research, technology changes and requirements affecting forms development. See the book Universal In spite of continually changing technology, there are universal principles of principles of design, and Forms Management Program staff design by need to be conscious of them. They remain the foundation of good William Lidwell, design. Key principles are likely to be noted in the Forms Style Kritina Holden, Guide ensuring forms developers, who may not be trained graphic Jill Butler designers, at least apply good design practices to forms development. Here are a few basic considerations for good forms design. Delivery channel – Understand what delivery channels are available, what media, tools, what user points of access are required, the context, pros and cons of each, to determine

Forms / Template Design and Development 138 / 345 which channels are best suited to the business needs at hand. Delivery channels are determined early in forms projects, on a case-by-case basis, which in turn determine the form output versions to develop and dictate deployment means. Also see the Nielsen Norman Group article on Optimizing for Context in the Omnichannel User Experience39 Graphic images – If the form displays graphic images such as the Arial organization’s logo, ensure it has sufficient white space and around it so it does not get obstructed or the user distracted Helvetica by other information. It should remain easily visible and are recognizable. The format of the image should be compatible sans serif with the delivery channel. As a rule, organizations establish typefaces design standards and guidelines as to how their branding is to be applied. Times and Text typefaces and type sizes – Forms are for business Times New Roman transactions and not for marketing or publicity. Few forms are serif display fancy typefaces or images, and when they do, it’s for typefaces 39 Kim Salazar, “Optimizing for Context in the Omnichannel User Experience”, Nielsen Norman Group (Nielsen Norman Group, February 26, 2017)

Forms / Template Design and Development 139 / 345 special purposes. Most forms are designed using sans serif typefaces40 (without strokes at the ends of letters) such as Helvetica or Arial, and use the Times or Times New Roman as a serif typeface (with strokes at the ends of letters), when needed. These typefaces are four of the most universal typefaces found on most software, operating systems and technology. Desktop publishing systems and forms development software typically have better control over line spacing and fonts with features such as kerning, word spacing. Different typefaces and type sizes are used for various text elements on a form. For example  Form title, instructions, and section headings that add contextual information.  Form field labels, such as “Family name,” “Telephone,” “Email,” which are short. 40 Opticentre, “What is serif and sans serif font?

Forms / Template Design and Development 140 / 345  Form questions in full sentences that tend to be longer, such as “Do you have US citizenship? Give all the addresses you lived at over the past 10 years.”  Information entered by respondents in designated form fields and answer areas.  Dense text such as contracts, agreements. In the past, serif fonts were not highly recommended for text that appeared in a browser or other electronic device. Now with improved monitor display, serif fonts render well. They can be useful to the forms developer to differentiate elements on an electronic form, for example: − Static text of labels, captions, instructions (sans serif fonts) from − Information entered by respondents (serif fonts or different sans serif font and type size).

Proportional vs monospaced fonts41 Forms / Template Design and Development It is recommended to use proportionally spaced typefaces42 141 / 345 (Arial, Times New Roman) and NOT monospaced43 (aka fixed-pitch, fixed-width or non-proportional) typefaces Use (Courier, Prestige Elite). proportionally spaced typefaces such as In proportionally spaced typefaces, characters use variable horizontal space depending on the width of the letter (e.g. Arial and Times. “W” compared to “I”) and ensure good readability. In monospaced typefaces, like on typewriters, characters use Do NOT use the same amount of horizontal space for every character. monospaced typefaces such as For example Courier and Prestige Elite As a rule, text on forms should not be smaller than 10 Minimum type size or 12 points in size, which converts to 13.3 to 16 pixels. for text on forms Measuring in points or pixels is determined by the development tool and the delivery channel, e.g., paper, Field label = 10 pt Answer = 12 pt 41 Laurel Storm, “Proportional Vs. Monospace Fonts’’, Techwalla, https://www.techwalla.com/articles/proportional-vs-monospace-fonts 42 Computer Hope, “Proportional spacing”, updated 10/17/2017 https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/p/propspac.htm 43 Wikipedia, “Monospaced font”

Forms / Template Design and Development 142 / 345 browser, mobile, etc. This is to ensure legibility by most user audiences. It is possible, in some instances for technical or design constraints, that smaller type sizes are required (e.g., ID cards, driver’s license). In such cases, the forms developer takes care not to compromise the legibility of the information entered on the forms (e.g., a person’s name, expiry date) setting those elements in larger type. It is also recommended to use a different typeface or different type size for the form field labels or captions to help distinguish the question from the answers entered by respondents. Labels and captions should not be smaller than 10-pt type size (13.3 pixels) and answers no smaller than 12 pt (16 pixels). The answer field can also be assigned a different alignment setting than the label or caption to visually help staff processing the information, focus on the answers.

Forms / Template Design and Development 143 / 345 For example There are a number of websites44 that convert measurements from points to pixels and reverse. Such conversion calculators can assist in modifying design standards developed for paper forms to those for electronic display only, and to those of eforms that require a print output once completed. When moving from paper to electronic display, all adjusted standards need to be tested to ensure proper display and usability. When printing an electronic form, testing is performed to ensure proper layout, display and readability of form elements and data once printed. 44 Mike Foskett, “Font size conversion: pixel-point-em-rem percent”, Websemantics.uk, 19th May 2020

Forms / Template Design and Development 144 / 345 Text emphasis – Text properties such as bold, italics and underline are to be used with care. • Bold type is adequate and effective for section headings, titles or for emphasis on a word or a few. For example: “Do not underline text.” or “Please write clearly or in print.” • Use italics and underline sparingly; they are harder to read and less effective. • Italics are often reserved for words and phrases in a foreign language. Also see − Italicizing foreign words45 − French and foreign words and phrases46 − Perfect It on How to Decide If You Should Italicize Foreign Words and Phrases47 45 Maeve Maddox, “Italicizing Foreign Words”, DAILYWRITINGTIPS 46 TERMIUM Plus®, “6.03 French and foreign words and phrases”, the Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank, Writing tools - The Canadian Style, a product of the Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada. 47 PerfectIt, “How to Decide If You Should Italicize Foreign Words and Phrases”, intelligentediting.com, 8 June 2020

• Underline should generally be avoided as it interferes Forms / Template Design and Development with the legibility of words because the underline touches 145 / 345 or crosses the descenders of letters, impeding quick reading. As well, it is now recognized as the design Ascender convention to display hyperlinks48. The portion of a letter that extends above the Except for short titles and few words at a time, DO NOT typeface x-height, e.g., write text in UPPERCASE or ALL CAPS. Uppercase the top part of letters significantly reduces legibility (by up to 20%) and slows the “b”, “d” or “h”. time required to read words and text. Descender UPPERCASE letters are all the same height and present the The portion of the letter word in a big rectangular shape, making it difficult to that extends below the distinguish the letters. The reader basically has to stop at baseline of a font, e.g., every letter to recognize each one before decoding the the tail of letters word. This makes for a very slow reading process. “p”, “g” or “y. Humans more easily recognize words by their shape created with the ascenders and descenders of letters when written in lowercase. People don’t need to “read” the words; instead they immediately recognize their shape. 48 Jakob Nielsen, “Guidelines for Visualizing Links”, Nielsen Norman Group, May 9, 2004 https://www.nngroup.com/articles/guidelines-for-visualizing-links/

Forms / Template Design and Development 146 / 345 Also see − x-height49 − Typography: Anatomy of a Letterform50 − Anatomy of a Character51 − Visual Guide to the Anatomy of Typography [Infographic]52 AVOID: UPPERCASE TEXT. IT SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWS READABILITY AND THE TIME REQUIRED TO READ WORDS AND TEXT. THIS IS EVEN MORE TRUE ON FORMS WHERE SPACE IS HIGHLY PRIZED. IF TO BE USED AT ALL, RESTRICT ITS USE TO SHORT TITLES AND A FEW WORDS FOR EMPHASIS (NOTE, HOWEVER, THIS COULD BE PERCEIVED AS “SCREAMING”). 49 Wikipedia, “x-height” 50 Andrean Valeanu,“Typography: Anatomy of a Letterform”, Designmodo, September 02, 2011, https://designmodo.com/letterform/ 51 Ilene Strizver, “Anatomy of a Character”, fonts.com, https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fontology/level-1/type-anatomy/anatomy 52Orana Velarde, “Visual Guide to the Anatomy of Typography [Infographic], Visme, https://visme.co/blog/type-anatomy/

Forms / Template Design and Development 147 / 345 Also see  All caps53 Use: Lowercase and mixed cases (lowercase with capitals at the start of sentences, titles and proper names). They are easier to read and more natural to the human eye, allowing for faster reading of text. AVOID: Condensed typefaces to gain space. They are more difficult to read. If used at all, ensure it is for a unique and specific element that cannot be avoided without affecting the entire form. For example In a table listing items, usually the width of the column would accommodate the largest item listed. However, the form’s design allows for a maximum width so all columns can be displayed properly, and it is a bit smaller in width than the ideal width. Instead of reducing the type size of all items in the list, making all items more difficult to read, look at how many items are 53 Wikipedia, “All caps”

Forms / Template Design and Development 148 / 345 impacted by the smaller width and typeset those few items in a condensed typeface or reduce the letter spacing using kerning or auto fit options. This can sometimes allow the same typeface to remain, yet squeeze the word in the required space width. On forms completed by hand, when it is important to be able to clearly read the handwriting, or the completed forms are scanned, it is a good idea to ask respondents to print their answers legibly (e.g., Please write in BLOCK LETTERS). Spacing and white space – For users to easily read the form and the questions to answer, it is important for all form elements to be displayed with enough spacing so as not to crowd the

Forms / Template Design and Development 149 / 345 information. Crowded information and little white space make it more difficult for users to visually focus and read. • Spacing also refers to space allowed in boxes or fields where users enter information. It is important to leave enough space to ensure there is adequate room for users to enter the required data and for it to be legibly displayed. • While monospaced typefaces are seldom used now, the concept of one can assist the forms developer in working out the correct width of a fill-in area. − First, the forms developer knows the character count limitation for each field. − Next, the developer allocates 1/10” (Courier) or 1/12” (Prestige Elite) per character for electronically completed forms. Because proportionally spaced typefaces use less space than this, you are certain to know that the fill-in area is adequate. − Forms completed by hand usually allocate 6 to 8 characters per inch for spacing.) • For readability, text needs enough spacing between the lines. Before computer desktop publishing software and When type was set using a Linotype machine, spacing between lines was achieved by adding lines of lead

Forms / Template Design and Development 150 / 345 word processors, typesetters would set the line spacing (“leading54”) for each type size. With new technology, line spacing has a default preset based on known and established standard line spacing by typeface and size, although they can be modified. These standards should not be modified unless a minor change in the line space may allow a form to remain on one page and not negatively affect legibility. Typical line spacing is 120% of the point size of the font. Thus, as the point size increases, the line spacing also increases. The line spacing examples below are calculated in this manner. Example of dense text set with adequate line spacing: Adequate line spacing puts enough white space between lines of text making the overall text easier to read. For example, this text is set in 12-point type and the line space is 14 points, which is standard. In typesetting parlance, this is spoken as “12 on 14” and written as “12/14.” 54 Wikipedia, “Leading”