Recently the question Is the term 'field' too technical when giving messages on a form? was asked with the top-rated answer saying that in messages, you should instead refer to the information that is required (e.g. "Your name is required"). Some user comments further elaborated that less technical users may not have an explicit understanding of what a field actually is, so refering to the data contained within the field is better.
This is a great suggestion, but it seems to me that it is mostly limited to error messages and may not be practical when first presenting the form. Traditionally, I have seen forms with required fields marked with an asterisk like this:
Name* __________________________
Address* _______________________
City * _________________________
State* ___________ ZIP* ________
Birthday________________________
Favorite Color _________________
*Required field
Notice how at the bottom there is the word "required field" to note that any field with an asterisk following its name is required.
The previous question indicated that "required field" is not a great term to use. Is there a less technical term that can be used?
