Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Form Filling
Printed paper forms are still widely used today. They are inexpensive to produce and
can be easily used at varying places. Paper forms are also the method of choice when
computers are not appropriate for entering data, e.g. because they would create an
interactional barrier, such as during interviews or medical consultations. However,
most data collected in paper forms has eventually to be integrated into computer
databases. Manually copying the data to a computer system or scanning paper forms
requires additional effort and increases the time span until the data is electronically
available.
This is where form-filling approaches have their benefits. They support structured
data entry in mobile settings, retaining the advantages of paper forms. A paper form
contains printed fields that act as placeholders where the user can fill in the requested
data with a digital pen. This pen automatically captures all data and sends it to a
computer system, e.g. via a mobile phone to the back-end system of a company,
where the data is further processed. Figure 2.13 shows an example of a form-based
interface.
The main commercial supplier of such solutions is Anoto, together with a num-
ber of partner companies. Form-based solutions are successfully used in a variety
of settings.
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For instance, field staff of several large companies use form-based so-
lutions for filling-in order forms during their customer visits. Policemen use them
Fig. 2.13
Form-based inter-
face (photo copyright Anoto)
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http://www.anoto.com/all-cases-4.aspx
