Dull or worse?

Martin Evans: 06 January 2009 in Government

Form-filling. Bit of routine business? Dreary necessity? Daily grind for pen-pushers? Or something else?

For many of us, boredom isn't the only emotion associated with forms. One of Britain's best sports journalists recently captured those feelings perfectly. What is so awful about filling in forms? 'Where do I start?' asked Brian Viner. You can read his answer here.

A key factor he puts his finger on is 'the anxiety of not knowing whether you have abided by the rules.' The more complex those rules, the less you know about them the more important the reason you're filling in the form in the first place - the greater the anxiety. So it's no wonder that as the last deadline for filing your online tax return approaches, the stress level in many British households will be cranking up.

Who designs these forms? Are they a different breed from normal citizens and sportswriters? Apparently not. Back in December ten of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' forms designers were on a two-day course here at the Simplification Centre. They were a lively group, keen to learn more and to find ways to apply what they'd learned. And with their own problems with forms.

We asked them each to bring along a document they'd received, outside work, that caused them difficulties. What they brought showed that they too suffer the same problems, puzzlements and anxieties as the rest of us.

How do we reduce the anxiety? More training, better design skills, more applied research. But also empathy with the user. Brian Viner's article will be on the reading list for our next course.