Ask HN: Why isn't A/B testing applied to government forms?
Maybe this already happens but I seriously doubt it, but why don't governments A/B test their forms? Surely it would make sense for them to do so. Please discuss.
4 comments
[IANAL]
Two official forms = two possible interpretations -> inconsistency. Bidder one gets form A.1, Bidder two gets form A.2.
Doesn't matter which one wins the bid, the other will cry foul.
[In the US]For governement workers, much of the legal protection against charges of negligence comes from performing their actions in a consistent manner.
Two official forms = two possible interpretations -> inconsistency. Bidder one gets form A.1, Bidder two gets form A.2.
Doesn't matter which one wins the bid, the other will cry foul.
[In the US]For governement workers, much of the legal protection against charges of negligence comes from performing their actions in a consistent manner.
I think it would make sense to find out whether governments had already implemented your suggested improvement before suggesting it.
Incidentally, do you want them to optimise the time taken to fill the forms in, or the accuracy with which they're filled in?
Incidentally, do you want them to optimise the time taken to fill the forms in, or the accuracy with which they're filled in?
Not quite a form, but the U.S. govt. has worked on optimizing the typeface for road signs for legibility - see
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html
It does, but there are many thousands of forms. RFCs are published in the Federal Register.