Blog #8 - Chad Fox

The Wufoo website seems to do a respectable job of error prevention. The sign-up page is easy to use and shows you what fields are required. When invalid information is inputted, the error messages to the user are helpful and inform the user of what error was made and how to correct it. However, I think it would be a good idea for Wufoo to put an example of what a valid email address looks like, as they did where the user is supposed to "pick your Wufoo name/url" and under it is displayed "http://username.wufoo.com". This would help prevent users from inputting invalid e-mail addresses. Furthermore, when an invalid email address is entered, Wufoo simply informs the user that the email address is invalid. So as I said before, it would be helpful to either provide an example on the sign-up page, or to provide an example of a valid email address in the error message to make it more helpful.

With regards to the multiple-choice form, it can be a little confusing at first since there are many options and forms to be filled-in, but Wufoo does a good job at helping the user and trying to prevent errors. The default text in the text fields really helps give the user an idea of what should be put in the specific field and I think greatly helps prevent errors. Additionally, the live/interactive set-up of the multiple choice form is a nice poka-yoke device that eliminates errors and helps users understand exactly what they're doing by immediately showing them a preview of the changes being made. Finally, the question mark icons next to all the options of the form are a great error-prevention device because they provide even further information about the option at hand.

Going into this blog, I had neither heard of Wufoo nor used their site. Thus, I was a little lost at first and needed some direction as to what exactly I should do. As a result of their design and their many techniques used to prevent errors, I was able to understand the site and its options and consequently did not make many mistakes. When mistakes were made by me, both intentionally and unintentionally, their error prevention techniques and messages seemed to well thought out and overall pretty helpful.