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Coat of arms of Barbados
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Patterns

Best-practice ways to handle common tasks in government services, composed from the components.

Patterns document how to combine components into a proven solution for a whole task, such as asking for an address or letting people check their answers before submitting.

Ask users for…

  • Address - Ask for an address with a labelled field for each part so it is easy to fill and read back.
  • Bank details - Ask for the account holder, bank, account number and the details needed to make a transfer.
  • Contact information - Ask for an email address and phone number, and only the extra contact methods the service needs.
  • Disqualification - Ask a yes/no question first, then reveal the disqualification details only when needed.
  • Education - Collect education history, revealing the fields that fit the level of study.
  • Employment - Collect employment details, revealing the fields that fit the user's status.
  • Endorsement - Ask a yes/no question first, then reveal the endorsement details only when needed.
  • ID - Ask for one identifier at a time and let users switch to another they hold.
  • Name - Ask for a name using separate fields, and only the parts the service needs.
  • Personal information - Collect core personal details, asking only for the ones the service needs.

Help users to…

  • Check answers - Show a summary of every answer, with a way to change each one, before submitting.
  • Declaration - Show the name and date, then ask the user to confirm with a single checkbox.