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 “current conventions relating to web accessibility for all”, including WAI requirements and general W3C conventions.

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 – 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 “ELMER 1” 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 “ownership” 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 “Electronic Services for Business and Industry” (English version, pdf). Here, among other goals for development for electronic service, it is stated that “During the course of 2008, all forms shall be based on the ELMER Guidelines for common user interface for public forms on the Internet”.

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 Brønnøysund 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 Brønnøysund 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.

Impact

1: Better user experience
The user experience in a form filling situation is hard to measure and influenced by a lot of circumstances. However, the feeling of spending less time, more than time itself, is one important indicator on a better user experience.

To be presented in Altinn, the Norwegian eGovernment infrastructure for simplified electronic dialogue, governmental forms must be developed in an ELMER-adjusted form tool. In the last Altinn user survey more than 77 percent of the businesses claimed that they use less time on public forms delivering them in Altinn (Perduco, NNU 2008). The ELMER influence on the relevant form dialogues and the effect of homogeneous look and feel, represents a great share of the total user experience leading to this conclusion.

Another indication on an acceptable user situation is that business respondents have preferred extremely fast the Altinn ELMER based forms to their well known and secure paper based alternative. In 2005 ca 15 percent of “Term reports of employers’ contribution and advance tax” and 58 percent of “VAT return” forms were delivered through Altinn. In 2008 the share was respectively 82 and 85 percent.

We do not know much about the educational effects of common look and feel in forms. Most people may not (at least not consciously) remember the concept from one form to another. But we do know in general that every user with cognitive challenges, and especially the blind or weak-sighted web user, benefits from recognizable interfaces.

As we now start developing compound services in Norway, assembling forms from different agencies in one form filling process, consistent user interfaces will become even more important.

2: Better understanding and response quality
No investigation has been done to compare the quality of information submitted through an ELMER form with other web forms or the old paper based reports. But user tests show that form fillers do understand the ELMER functionality. We have indications, and it seems natural, that they do make use of the embedded “piece by piece” help functionality (user-requested help) more often than they would look up a separate guidance document.

The ELMER help text shall be “…adapted to fit the needs of the least skilled form fillers” (ELMER 4.2.3) and “…shorter, more structured and divided into smaller segments than what would have been acceptable [ … ] on paper” (ELMER 4.2.8).
Error handling is important for quality. ELMER prescribes different validation solutions for absolute errors and improbabilities. In both cases “The error message shall not primarily tell what is done wrong, but must point out how to fill it in correctly”.

As we can see from the examples above, ELMER points out the direction but leave a lot of solution choices regarding parlance and textual clearness to the developing project. Nevertheless; the right professionals, following the requirements conscientiously, will ensure a better understanding of the task and better data quality than if these matters are not considered.

Norwegian surveys, most evident from Office of the Auditor General of Norway, (Document no. 3:10 2004-2005, English version, pdf), indicates that user-friendliness traditionally was not particullary esteemed in form production in Norwegian governmental administrations and agencies.

It is our clear impression, following ELMER form development during the last five years, that more Norwegian governmental bodies now involve their information experts in form development. Usability experts seem to be more natural participants in the Norwegian web form projects than just a few years ago. The ELMER guidelines are their argument to get involved and their tool to succeed.

If the user doesn’t find all the help he needs in the form itself, he will consult telephone or mail support. In the worst case he will not complete the form or he will send a paper based one instead. If the receiver becomes aware of form misunderstandings afterwards, he may have a lot of efforts to correct mistakes during the case handling. The cost reducing potential of simplified, understandable forms for public sector is considerable.

Response quality is, of course, also a critical factor to maintain adequate public reactions and correct decisions towards businesses and citizens. Decisions based on incorrect information might be a threat to legal protection and public security.
One important issue for the future: The more we succeed in integrating and re-using collected information to increase governmental efficiency, the more important it will be that form questions were correctly understood and answered in the first place.

3: Less expensive form projects
Often public announcements of tender have stated that the system “shall be user friendly”. This of course is impossible to measure and leaves a lot of questions to clarify during the purchasing or developing project. For form solutions it is now possible and usual in Norway to state that the ELMER requirements shall be fulfilled. This saves a lot of discussions on where to place different elements and how to approach user friendliness in the project or software solution.

Track record of sharing

Sharing ELMER in every possible area is an important policy instrument to obtain recognizable form interfaces. Succeeding with ELMER depends on common look and feel. The more ELMER is used in every sector of the society, the easier will it be for form fillers to get familiar with its user interface.

The guidelines are published on www.brreg.no/elmer, in a html version and as downloadable pdf file. Detailed explanations and clarifications of each requirement category are available here as well.

Twice a year The Brønnøysund Register Centre (BRC) offers subsidized ELMER courses, going through each and every requirement with good and bad examples. A complete text-book covering form usability and ELMER is available free of charge for course participants and governmental agencies.

BRC participate in meetings and discussions with organizations preparing ELMER forms whenever wanted, in private sector as well as for governmental, regional and municipal administrations. ELMER is also presented in ICT-, communication- and eGovernment conferences.

The BRC and the business associations find it important to spread the ELMER way of thinking to other countries. This is also the reason why the NHO - Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise has contributed in translating the ELMER guidelines into English.

Also organizations and sectors not being obliged to follow ELMER, and of course governmental agencies in other countries, have a lot to learn from the concept. By bringing up a discussion about every ELMER requirement in their relevant project environments, the team participants will understand each other better, they will achieve a greater awareness of form usability and they will make better form solutions.

Lessons learnt

Lesson one:
Given the right timing, governmental agencies as well as software developers appreciate guidance and clear specifications for electronic solutions.

The very first ELMER version back in 2001 was adapted by Norwegian authorities and software developers unexpectedly fast. Mostly a feasibility sketch, in a report commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, it was not a complete set of requirements, it was not mandatory and it was not in any way marketed towards relevant individuals or groups. Nevertheless, quite a lot of the first important Norwegian web forms ended up like the ELMER design and functionality sketches.

The explanation might be that very few experts yet had come up with a firm conviction on how to deal with electronic forms. Neither the agencies nor the software industry, at this time, had invested much time and money on competitive, sophisticated web form solutions. Norwegian ICT suppliers were eager to prepare for the public sector demands in a new, fast growing market. And most governmental administrations and agencies had no capacity to develop specifications on their own and would welcome any initiative giving a thorough and trustworthy impression.

Lesson two:
Communication skills are essential when forms are being composed, even if general requirements are drawn up in the guidelines.

It is important to be aware that ELMER does not make up for communication expertise and user testing in the individual form developing process. The requirements leave a lot of solution choices, regarding track structure, parlance and visual as well as textual clearness. Different ELMER-based solutions may still give quite different user experience.

For some projects it is still a challenge that the agencies do not sufficiently involve information skilled employees. Adjusting old paper forms to ELMER, by restructuring questions and pages to create different dialogues for diverging user groups and by transforming separate guidance documents to concise help texts for individual questions, is complicated and time consuming. It will rarely be given sufficient consideration in projects focused on urgent technical challenges, if communication expertise is not participating.

Lesson three:
Involving all relevant interest groups, across different sectors in society, makes it easier to obtain comprehensive agreement.
The web form must satisfy the needs of the information collectors, the technical systems and the form fillers. This requires cooperation between different professionals not familiar with each other’s operating conditions and not used to work together as a team.

Bringing together the policy or legal expert from public agencies, ICT professionals and information/communication specialists as well as participants from heavily form exposed companies, seem to give them all a better, common understanding of the challenges and, by that, common ideas of requirements for well working forms