ELMER â€“ User Interface Guidelines for Government Web Forms

Acronym of the case:

ELMER

Web address of the case:

http://www.brreg.no/english/elmer

Country of the case:

Norway

Posting Date:

1 October 2009

Last Edited Date:

01 December 2009

Author:

Tor Nygaard (BrÃ¸nnÃ¸ysund Register Centre)

Human-computer interaction | usability | Web forms

Type of initiative

Project or service
Strategic initiative

Case Abstract

Purpose
The main objective for The ELMER guidelines (English version, pdf) is to give the form filler a better user experience, ensuring a better understanding of the task andÂ better control of the data before submission. For the relevant authority this leads to better response quality and more efficient processing.

Since the end of 2008, all public administrations and agencies in Norway have been obliged to use ELMER guidelines in their web forms aimed at businesses. The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities also recommend the use of ELMER in all municipal forms, for citizens as well as businesses.

The concept
ELMER constitutes a coherent set of rules for common look and feel as well as pedagogical requirements in public service web forms, mandatory for public administrations and government agencies. ELMER is an acronym (in Norwegian) for "easier and more efficient reporting".

Covering styles, page layout and interaction rules for on-line forms in detail, with a total of around 100 requirements, the ELMER guidelines are presented in a tabular format with cross references, examples and a glossary of terms.

Following ELMER, all Norwegian government forms will have a common look and feel. ELMER requires a navigation area to the left, with all the (relevant) pages listed, and an information area at right for user-requested help and error messages. There are also specifications for presenting field groups, for dynamic tables and for placing help symbols and helps texts in relation to the relevant field.

ELMER-based forms will also contain uniform functionality assisting form fillers in avoiding questions of no relevance to their individual situation. ELMER describes two different techniques; Â«tracksÂ» and Â« response-dependent questionsÂ». Sometimes this will require a comprehensive restructuring of questions and pages from the old, paper based form to create different dialogues for diverging user groups. There are several requirements dealing with when and how to use these techniques and there are a lot of other techniques described in ELMER to improve the total user experience.

The guidelines are being administered by the BrÃ¸nnÃ¸ysund Register Centre (BRC), which in accordance with the Reporting Obligations Register Act, is responsible for assisting the inquirer with advice related to reporting obligations. ELMER version 2 was published in 2006 and version 2.1 will be completed this year.

Impact
ICT-oriented projects often suffer from unclear and divergent impulses from the end user environments, making the system less used, and less usable to fulfill its purpose. ELMER is giving the user a clear voice, expressing a consistent and carefully considered message on behalf of the respondents, still harmonized with the needs of public administrations and government agencies to collect sufficient information for complicated form based case administration.

More or less all governmental, regional and local authorities in Norway already have implemented ELMER in their electronic forms, are preparing ELMER forms or at least have provided software solutions for ELMER-based form developing.
Today some two thousand different web forms satisfy the ELMER requirements in Norwegian agencies.

For some of the most important business-related forms more than 90 percent are submitted through the web, even if a paper based alternative is available. Norwegian software companies have developed dedicated form tools ensuring correct positioning of elements and ELMER functionality.

Lessons learnt

Given the right timing, governmental agencies as well as software developers appreciate guidance and clear specifications for electronic solutions.
Communication skills are essential when forms are being composed, even if general requirements are drawn up in the guidelines.
Involving all relevant interest groups, across different sectors in society, makes it easier to obtain comprehensive agreement.

Description of the case

Domain

eGovernment

Topic

Inclusive eGovernment | Services for Businesses | Policy

Sector

Start date - End date

June 2000 (Ongoing)

Date operational

October 2006

Target Users

Administrative | Business (self-employed) | Business (industry) | Business (SME) | Civil society

Target Users Description

To ensure sufficient knowledge, use and understanding of the guidelines, both all central, regional and local authorities and all software companies supporting web solutions are the main target groups for ELMER. The ELMER guidelines are originally developed as a tool for the Norwegian trade and industry policy but are not used in business forms alone.

Also institutions addressing citizens are target users, even if they are not obliged to implement ELMER in their forms. An individualâ€™s general competence and preferences when it comes to form completion do of course not alter if the form relates to personal life. Rather, a common look and feel across different reporting situations will serve as yet another advantage for the electronic form in competition with the old paper version.

For the same reason it would be an advantage if ELMER was to gain general acceptance within the private sector, for business to business reporting and related to customer handling. Therefore there have been some isolated meetings with leading finance and telecom companies, but they are not a main target group.

Scope

National

Status

Operation

Language(s)

Norwegian

Policy Context and Legal Framework

1: Focusing on administrative burdens
The Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry has focused on the simplification of public forms for many years. The current implementation of electronic reporting was expected to be an important simplification measure for the respondents, but only if the internet-based solutions were felt to be more user-friendly than the old paper versions.

At the end of the last century the first web based public forms were developed in Norway. It was obvious that they had no common look and feel and they did not utilize the educating power of interactive dialogues on the net. They were either copies of the old paper form or they included quite dissimilar solutions for element placing and functionality. The main problem was that there were no strong conventions or common appearance for electronic forms. For each new form, the user would have to learn its basic behavior and functions from the very start.

2: Increasing benefits from eGovernment solutions
As early as the summer of 2000, an interdisciplinary reference group on electronic reporting initiated the ELMER project. By interviewing managers in small companies, the group found that the businesses appreciated electronic form solutions but were confused by the different user interfaces.

In 2001 the reference group produced a report concluding that the Internet offers a lot of new pedagogical possibilities for form based communication, i.a. by structuring all forms homogeneously and including equal, embedded help functionality. This report is named (translated) "The form that learned to listen", illustrating one of the main ELMER ideas: Each respondent should only be introduced to questions appearing to be relevant through the form dialogue. Today this report, with its examples and illustrations, often is referred to as "ELMER 1". Therefore the first complete, obligatory guidelines are named ELMER 2.

3: Involving all stakeholders
In 2005-06, when developing version 2, it was a strategic descision to have a very open process, involving quite a lot of participants from different organizations and groups, in private sector as well as governmental. Through workshops and Internet discussions, open for everyone, the Ministry not only intended to develop the most appropriate guidelines but even to obtain comprehensive agreement on the result.

ELMER 2 has evolved through co-operation between very competent enterprises and experts. All in all, they have brought with them unique experiences from designing different forms for several agencies and suppliers, from the reception and use of the same forms, and from usability testing of ELMER1-based and other electronic forms in varied user groups.

4: Better solutions for Universal Design
The original ideas in ELMER 1 on homogeneous placing of elements, standardized button texts and easy-to-understand text and labels, makes forms more manageable for users with different kinds of cognitive challenges. The ELMER 2 process focused even more on universal design, requiring that all forms must comply with â€œcurrent conventions relating to web accessibility for allâ€, including WAI requirements and general W3C conventions.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

IT infrastructures and products

Overall Implementation approach

Public administration

Technology choice

Standards-based technology | Accessibility-compliant (minimum WAI AA)

Funding source

Public funding national | Private sector

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Yearly cost:

€49-299,000

Implementation and Management Approach

Asking the users
As early as the summer of 2000, an interdisciplinary reference group on electronic reporting initiated the ELMER Project â€“ a collaboration project between the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (NHD), the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and the Federation of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises (HSH).

The Project followed a few enterprises over the period of one year in order to map their reporting obligations, and test simple solutions for electronic reporting based on familiar technology. Among other things, the ELMER Project presented an example for design of a complex web form in 2001.

Adapted in the market
The ELMER example, today referred to as â€œELMER 1â€ was rapidly adapted by commercial form developers and public agencies, and were followed up in a number of governmental forms along with some forms from the private sector. But there was always a demand for further development and specification, both from the business, organizations and from the agencies themselves.

From the bottom - Open process
In 2005, governmental agencies and ICT-coordination groups, as well as business organizations, usability experts and form developers in private sector, were invited to submit suggestions and take part in debates to obtain agreement on ELMER 2. Not only the organizations were invited. Even a lot of professionally interested individuals were contacted and motivated to engage themselves in the ongoing discussions.

NHO made the Internet domain www.elmer.no available for the process and contributed to the maintenance of this website with news, drafts and proposals. On this website there were discussion forums for open use by all stakeholders and interested individuals during the development period.

Open workshops were held, and a number of authorities and experts have written, read and commented contributions posted on the Internet discussion forum before an overall proposal was presented for the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry

Formal public consultation
ELMER v2 was published in October 2006, after a public consultation, to ensure a formal acceptation on top levels on the agencies, in addition to the â€œownershipâ€ amongst individual professionals.

The formal process made it possible for the Ministry to raise the ELMER concept even higher in 2007, to the Plan of Action â€œElectronic Services for Business and Industryâ€ (English version, pdf). Here, among other goals for development for electronic service, it is stated that â€œDuring the course of 2008, all forms shall be based on the ELMER Guidelines for common user interface for public forms on the Internetâ€.

Assisted implementation
ELMER 2 itself describes initially how ELMER should be referred to in tender notes to make sure that purchased solutions satisfies the requirements. The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities has even published a standardized announcement of tender for providing ELMER based municipal forms and form developing tools.

At the moment The BrÃ¸nnÃ¸ysund Register Centre is planning a system for evaluating ELMER forms quality as well as ELMER abilities in form development software.

Further development
Due to the rapid changes in technological possibilities and web behaviour, The BrÃ¸nnÃ¸ysund Register Centre plans a revision of ELMER every other year, starting with informal workshops and web discussions on the professional level.

Technology solution

Apart from a few functions which lie in-between the form and surrounding systems, ELMER is exclusively dealing with the user interface.

None of the requirements are dependent on a specific technical platform or requires specific software. As far as possible the placing and functionality defined in ELMER is build upon standard Internet conventions, not presupposing any specific Internet browser, even if the very oldest functioning versions of available browsers may have some problems presenting the user interface as predicted.

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