Web Usability

• “email”
  
• “username”
  
• “name” (contains both first name and last name)
  
• “address1″
  
• “address2″
  
• “city”
  

Try them yourself by double-clicking in the form fields!

It probably goes without saying but AutoComplete doesn’t work with Flash form fields so if you can, avoid putting form fields in your Flash movies.

Turning Off AutoComplete for Your Forms

If the function of a field is really unique for your site, using a common field name will cause AutoComplete to suggest a bunch of unusable data to the user, possibly confusing her. To avoid this, use an unique field name for your unique field. That way, AutoComplete will only make suggestions particular for your site.

For example, you can add an extra character (“wusername”), add the name of your site to the name (“web_usability_username”) or use an uncommon abbrevation (“usrid”). Before you do this however, stop to think if this field really is unique. If your users are allowed to pick usernames themselves (highly recommended), they probably will pick the same username that they have on some other site so that field name shouldn’t be unique. If they have to use a username that you created for them, go ahead and make that field name unique.

You can also use the attribute autocomplete="off" (applied to your form or input element) to turn off AutoComplete for a field or the entire form, depending on which element you put the attribute in – form or input. This doesn’t validate however so use it with caution.

AutoCompleting Search Fields

The “Search” form field is probably the most commonly used form field on the web. As such, it demands a little special attention. Common field names for the search field include:

• Google – “q”
• MSN – “q”
• Windows Live – “q”
• Flickr – “q”
• IMDb – “q”
• MySpace – “q”
• Yahoo – “p”
• Ask.com – “q” (but AutoComplete turned off)
• Wikipedia – “search”
• Youtube – “search_query”

From that list, it is obvious that “q” is the consensus name for the search field and it is thus the recommended field name. The exception would be if your search has a very specific theme and the general content in the AutoComplete drop-down would confuse the user. And oh, 456 Berea Street also uses “q” if you need a little more web authority to convince you.

As a side note, Yahoo’s decision to use “p” is a little baffling. I guess they try to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack (and probably Google in particular) but it probably hurts them (and their users) more than it helps.

OpenId – How to Set a Standard for AutoComplete

The OpenID Authentication Specification recommends that developers names the sign-in form field “openid_url” to enable AutoComplete. A recommendation like this is a great way to establish a kind of microformat that benefits the users greatly and therefore also the site owners. Most sites with OpenId follows this recommendation although some don’t. For instance, Jyte uses “openid_identifier” for some reason – their (and their users’) loss obviously.

Want More Technical Meat?

Check out Microsoft Developer Network for an indepth technical look into how AutoComplete works behind the scenes.