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Prior to the widely accessible Internet, a great example of a terrible process was appropriating, changing, or renewing one’s ID or license at the DMV. Travel, take a number, fill out form, wait. Once upon a time this is how user information was collected. Then came the Internet. In the beginning, HTML forms were used primarily for search and submission tasks. Then, fueled by money and pizza, the world witnessed the birth of e-commerce, aka e-banking and online ordering. Now, online forms are everywhere. Credit card processing, memberships, surveys, article commentary, and even dating… all centered on the ordinary, every day user.

MDN (Mozilla Developer Network) states, "HTML Forms are one of the main points of interaction between a user and a web site or application." Forms are the vehicle of communication for online conversations. Nearly all websites make proliferate use of forms to collect and/or share data. Understanding how forms are interacted with is paramount in creating effective and user attractive websites in today’s web design market.

A well designed form makes online communication feel easeful and assists users in feeling secure in sharing information. Creation of a form is more than the data being compiled. A form needs to collect the required data, and it needs to cater to how a user wants to share that data. What users believe about a site (or form) is as important, if not more so, than what it actually is. The mental model of the user directly affects how they interact with a site.

"A mental model is what the user believes about the system at hand." as described by the Nielson Norman Group. Jakob Nielson advises, "What users believe they know about a UI strongly impacts how they use it. Mismatched mental models are common, especially with designs that try something new." The user experience is always a consideration when building a meaningful and effective website. Whether it’s the architectural layout or label placement, being mindful of how users perceive a site and its forms is key to satisfying both the needs of the site owner and creating a site that users want to engage.