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I am developing a mobile application in which the user selects the fields that s/he wants to enter information into. At the moment, I have two screens - one for selecting the fields and other for entering the information.

My goal is to choose a design that is very intuitive and minimizes the number of screens/views that the user has to visit. With that in mind, please suggest a way so that I can allow the user to accomplish selection of fields and data entry on just one screen.

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closed as not a real question by dhmholley, JohnGB, ChrisF, Jimmy Breck-McKye, Ben Brocka♦ Dec 19 '12 at 15:11

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

4 Answers

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The problem with two screens is that if user will change his mind he will have to go back to select/unselect the items. It's better to place everything on the one single screen and allow user to input values instantly. For example, you may try to use a well-known pattern (used in address books, etc) of choosing a type of a field and entering value inplace:

inplace

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great ans! thanks! – Rut Dec 17 '12 at 0:42
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Assuming that the user directly choose which fields to enter (the application doesn't need to make any decisions about what needs to be filled), I suggest simply allowing the user to leave fields they decide not to enter blank.

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thanks for your response. I had considered this approach, but the problem is if s/he wants to modify a field, the user has to scroll through the entire table to find the fields that have info. – Rut Dec 13 '12 at 6:54
Unfortunately, I don't think that with one screen it's possible to condense the table any further. Since being able select a field to modify requires displaying the field at least somewhere, fitting everything in one screen will require listing all modifiable fields in that screen. – fernozzle Dec 13 '12 at 6:58
Thanks for your answer @fernozzle. – Rut Dec 17 '12 at 0:42
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Consider adding the text "optional" in a distinguishing color just to the left or above each field's title.

If a user sees 8 fields with 6 of them clearly optional upon a quick glance of the page, that won't feel like a page with 8 fields.

Still, work VERY hard to trim down to the fewest fields needed in the first place.

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Thanks for your response Mark! – Rut Dec 17 '12 at 0:43
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Another route is to have just the few basic fields and add an "advanced" button which leads to a page with more fields.

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