Oh yes, length of the form matters a lot. I prefer filing those forms which are quick & upto the point rather than long detailed one where one has no clue as to when & where the form is going to end.
Most things on most forms aren't relevant anyway...
In our book, we included a section on 'how long can your form be'. The crucial things are to balance these factors:
- the amount of effort that the user has to put in
- what the user gets out of filling in the form
- the overall level of trust that the user has in your organisation.
Example: even though tax forms are notorious for being very long and very difficult, people still struggle through and fill them in because they have to have some degree of trust in the government and because they want to avoid the fines or other penalties that they might incur if they don't do it.
In some countries, level of trust in the government is low and/or people don't believe that the government will actually catch up with them and hit them with fines. In those countries, people don't make a lot of effort with their tax forms.
Now think about an ordinary web form, e.g. a registration form. Suppose that you're not all that familiar with the organisation (low level of trust). You're not all that sure about the benefits of registration. If that form is at all long, you won't bother.
More about registration forms:
http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article2629.asp
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