Goal
The
...
single-page
...
complex
...
form
...
allows
...
to
...
fill
...
in
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a
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large
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amount
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of
...
mostly
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independent,
...
but
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still
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connected
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data
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sets.
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While
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these
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data
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sets
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could
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be
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spread
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among
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multiple
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tabs,
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there's
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a
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clear
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advantage
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to
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make
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all
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of
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them
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visible
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at
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once
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on
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one
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page.
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In
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order
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to
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improve
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orientation
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in
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the
...
form,
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data
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shall
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also
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be
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grouped
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visually
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.
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Each
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group
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of
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data
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must
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be
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consistent
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and
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constructed
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such
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that
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it
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may
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largely
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stand
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on
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its
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own.
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This
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type
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of
...
form
...
distinguishes
...
between
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important
...
and
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less
...
important
...
data
...
sets
...
,
...
the
...
former
...
being
...
visible
...
at
...
all
...
times
...
while
...
the
...
latter
...
may
...
be
...
hidden
...
at
...
first.
...
Concept
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As stated in the goals, we distinguish between data sets, which contain values, which have to be entered every or at least most of time a user fills out the form, and sets which are changed less frequently. We use a combination of field sets to group important data sets and accordion-type tabs for hiding forms for less important data sets. Important sets must be visible immediately when opening the form and may not be hidden by the user.
In contrast, less important data sets are mostly hidden, but show a title naming their topic and a short overview of the values of their most significant fields. These overviews are an essential add-on of the complex form: since less important data sets are usually not touched when filling out the form, the overviews must present their default settings in a concise, readable, quickly understood short sentence or sequence of words. We want to avoid that the user has to open these sets only to check the values contained in them. The advantage of the single-page complex form to present all settings at once largely depends on the quality of the overviews.
Do not use such a form, if your form actually does contain sets, which are more like multiple, connected steps. In such a case, use a multi-step process. Also, if the overview over all values is less important, your form may be less overwhelming, if you break it up and make the parts accessible using tabs.