On the organisation of form-filling behaviour

Given the ubiquity of transactional forms it is surprising that so little is known about the dynamics of the form-filling activity itself This paper reports a detailed observational study of the reading and routing activities of subjects as they filled in a DHSS postal claim form. The results of this study suggest a number of broad principles which appear to govern the interaction of subjects with the written material of the form. The local application of these principles in the context of a form-filling history can account for idiosyncrasies in form-filling behaviour. This interpretation is consistent with the view that form-fillers employ a conversational model of form-filling, despite the static nature of the paper medium through which it is conducted.