Form Validation and Error Handling
UX Techniques
UX Strategy, Data Standardization, Information Architecture, Accessibility
Problem
The customer relied on different contractors throughout the years to build custom applications or heavily customize commercial-off-the-shelf (COTs) products. Forms were developed with inconsistent metadata labels and form validation. For example, some services use “Last Name” whereas others use “Surname” or “Family Name.” The data dictionaries varied with respect to allowable characters, minimum and maximum character limits, and required vs. optional.
Solution
As the lead UX designer, I created a form validation error handling spreadsheet to inventory (and serve as a stop-gap) for all metadata labels, validation rules (e.g., client vs. server-side validation), and the error messages based on the scenarios.
Outcome
I was able to improve form design consistency and set the precedent for other services to follow the pattern.
I was able to provide an enhanced user experience by presenting error messages that were clear, concise, and helpful.
I was able to champion a project to standardize metadata across the enterprise by showing how variation in metadata labels are directly complicating form design.
