The cranky user: Bad design can be so taxing

When people design Web forms, they often overlook some great sources of professional expertise in the world -- the existence of form design techniques with which nearly all users are familiar. This month, the cranky user looks at form design and management.

With the deadline to file taxes only a few days away in the United States (U.S.), tax forms are everywhere because most people have to fill one out. Tax forms can carry lessons that apply directly to Web page design, especially as you consider the design of forms. That's because these tax forms are familiar to many users of varying skill levels. The sole function of a large branch of the U.S. government is to develop these forms -- form designers can derive a great deal of advantage from the expertise and history of tax form design.

In this month's column, I look at ways in which the Internal Revenue Service (sometimes known as the IRS or the Infernal Revenue Service) has already faced, in whole or in part, many of the serious problems that forms designers face. (Via developerworks)