On this page:
- Role
- Education
- Professional memberships and accolades
- Career summary
- Design experience
- Presentations and training
- Publications
- Career details
Role
Jessica is Principal and Founder of Formulate Information Design.
Education
Tertiary
Bachelor of Science from the Australian National University (1995).
- Won the SoftLaw Prize in Computer Studies (1995) for the best aggregate results in selected third year courses, including Interactive User Interfaces.
- Invited to join the Golden Key International Honours Society for the top 15% of undergraduates.
Other relevant courses
| Name | Run by | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Forms that Work | Effortmark | 2007 |
| Designing with Users | The Hiser Group | 2006 |
| Visual Layouts for Electronic Questionnaires | Dr Don A. Dillman | 2002 |
| Liaising on Survey Design and Content | ABS | 2000 |
| Forms for People | Rob Barnett & Associates | 1999 |
| Advanced Questionnaire Design | ABS | 1999 |
| Cognitive Interviewing | ABS | 1999 |
Professional memberships and accolades
Professional memberships
- Business Forms Management Association (BFMA)
- Usability Professionals Association (UPA)
- Australian Web Industry Professionals Association (WIPA)
- Web Standards Group (WSG)
Accolades
- The Kmart Tyre & Auto Service online car insurance quote and purchasing application won the Pegasystems Inc. “Customer Experience Transformation” award (2010).
- BFMA Diamond Award (for highest volunteer contributions to the association during the year, 2010)
- Canberra BusinessPoint Emerging Entrepreneur (2009)
- BFMA Ruby Award (for contributions to the association, 2009)
Career summary
Courses are listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent at the top).
| Oct 07 - present | Principal, Formulate Information Design |
|---|---|
| Jan 06 - Oct 07 | Senior Consultant, The Hiser Group |
| Dec 03 - Oct 05 | Quality Manager and Account Director, Colmar Brunton Social Research |
| Dec 01 - Dec 03 | Various administrative positions, further study and travel |
| Jan 01 - Dec 01 | Account Manager, Colmar Brunton Social Research |
| Jan 96 - Nov 00 | Survey Methodologist (APS3 - APS5), Australian Bureau of Statistics |
For more information about Jessica's key previous positions, see Career details below.
Design experience
Experience is listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent projects at the top).
Forms and applications
For explanation of the layers of a form—i.e. Q&A, Flow, Layout and Process—see our article 4 layers of a form.
| Project | Client | Year | Layers designed | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop insurance online quoting and applications | WFI | 2011 | All | Web |
| Warranty processing | Lumley Retail Warranty | 2011 | All | Web |
| Coles Insurance online quoting and purchasing | Wesfarmers Insurance | 2010 | All | Web |
| Claims forms | WFI | 2010 | All | Electronic (desktop) |
| Early Bird Crop Online web application, a self-service system for managing crop insurance | WFI | 2010 | All | Web |
| Australian Made, Australian Grown logo licence application form | Australian Made, Australian Grown | 2010 | All | Paper |
| Kmart Tyre & Auto Service car insurance online quoting and purchasing | Wesfarmers Insurance | 2010 | All | Web |
| Melanoma histopathology proforma and checklist | The RCPA | 2010 | Layout | Paper |
| Application form, statutory declaration and checklist templates | Tasmania State Revenue Office | 2009 | All | Paper |
| Serious Adverse Events reporting form | Pharmaxis | 2009 | All | Paper |
| Evaluation forms for the Active After-School Communities (AASC) program | Australian Sports Commission | 2009 | All | Paper |
| Client Base Analysis wizard interface | Fruition Data | 2009 | All | Electronic (desktop) |
| Application Cover Sheet | APVMA | 2009 (not yet live) | All | Paper |
| Internal activity proposal form | Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House | 2008 | All | Paper and electronic |
| Application forms for early release of superannuation benefits | APRA | 2008 | All | Paper |
| Technology in the Classroom survey | datacomIT | 2008 | All | Paper and electronic |
| Adverse events reporting forms | TGA | 2008, not yet live | All | Paper and electronic |
| Conference competition entry form | datacomIT | 2008 | All | Paper |
| Expert review of EMS Basix™ Platform, a WYSIWIG desktop application builder | EMS | 2008 | All | Electronic |
| Pre-job placement e-medical | Quality Occupational Health | 2008 | All | Web |
| Breast Care Package evaluation form | ACT Specialist Breast Care Service | 2008 | All | Paper |
| My Health Record | ACT Specialist Breast Care Service | 2008 | All | Paper |
| Part of the SEEK website (more detail not available due to commercial sensitivity) | SEEK | 2007, not yet live | All | Web |
| New patient form | Accident, Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy | 2007 | All | Paper |
| Internal forms | Victorian Department of Education | 2007 | All | Web |
| Moving and switching forms | Origin Energy | 2006 | All | Web |
| Global Navigation Satellite Systems member registration | Airservices Australia | 2006 | All | Web |
| Credit card application | GE Money | 2006 | Layout | Web |
| Declaration of Rateable Remuneration | Victorian Workcover Authority | 2006 | Layout | Web |
| Registration | Open Universities Australia | 2006 | Layout | Web |
| Human Papillomavirus Assessments | N/A | 2005 | All | Paper |
| Poultry Meat Safety Survey | FSANZ | 2005 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| Green Vehicle Guide evaluation | Department of Transport & Regional Services | 2005 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| Active After-School Communities (AASC) program evaluation | Australian Sports Commission | 2005 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| “Lemon Car” study | NSW Office of Fair Trading | 2005 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| “Project Star” vaccination research | N/A | 2005 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| Staff and client surveys | AGS | 2005, 2004 | Q&A, Flow | Web |
| Survey instruments | AIFS | 2004 | Layout | Paper |
| Job application, staff probation, accident/incident and student registration forms | CGGS | 2003 | All | Paper |
| Delegates survey for the Outlook conference | ABARE | 2002 | All | Paper |
| New patient form | The Walking Clinic | 2002 | All | Paper |
| Staff survey | Department of Education, Training & Youth Affairs | 2001 | All | Paper |
| Fund member satisfaction survey | Comcover | 2001 | All | Paper |
| Commonwealth Disability Strategy Baseline Indicators Study | Office of Disability | 2001 | All | Paper |
| Evaluation of the ANZAC Day Schools Resources Kit | DVA | 2001 | All | Paper |
| Job seeker surveys | Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | 2001 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| Sports in Warringah survey | Warringah Council | 2001 | Q&A, Flow | Telephone |
| National Childcare Survey | ABS | 1999 | All | Paper |
| NSW Household Security Precautions | ABS | 1999 | All | Paper |
| Evaluation of Census Products for Schools | ABS | 1999 | All | Paper |
Other information design
| Project | Client | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Design of home page, information architecture and page structure for Coles Insurance informational website | Coles | 2010 |
| Kmart Tyre & Auto Service car insurance subsite | KTAS | 2010 |
| Executive performance review dashboard | DAFF | 2008 |
| “Breast Cancer Surgery: What to Expect” booklet | ACT Specialist Breast Care Service | 2008 |
| Professionalism Survey report | ATO | 2004 |
| Recruitment documentation, including duty statements, job descriptions and supporting information | CGGS | 2003 |
Presentations and training
Presentations and training are listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent events at the top).
Conferences and professional meetings
| Session title | Conference/meeting | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let's talk about forms | Barcamp | Perth | 2010 |
| Making a paper form electronic | BFMA Symposium | San Antonio | 2009 |
| Questioning questions | BFMA Symposium | San Antonio | 2009 |
| Visual design principles for electronic forms | BFMA Symposium | San Antonio | 2009 |
| Easing the pain: 5 lessons from the redesign of a federal government general public form | UX Australia | Canberra | 2009 |
| Let's talk about forms | WebDU | Sydney | 2009 |
| Visual perception and the design of forms | WSG | Sydney | 2009 |
| Zebra striping: the mouse that roared | WSG | Canberra | 2009 |
| Testing the standard: does zebra striping really aid readability? | BFMA Symposium | Las Vegas | 2008 |
| Let's talk about forms | OzIA | Sydney | 2008 |
| Secrets of successful online forms | WSG | Canberra | 2008 |
| Zebra striping: does it really help? | OzCHI | Adelaide | 2007 |
Tailored training and workshops
| Session title | Client | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making a paper form electronic | The Mayo Clinic | US | 2010 |
| Form design best practice | Tasmania State Revenue Office | Hobart | 2009 |
Publications
Publications are listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent at the top).
| Article title | Publication | Medium | Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashionable Web Forms: Traps and Tips | UXmatters | Web | 1 November 2010 |
| What do you mean? How to write good questions | User Experience magazine | Volume 8, Issue 2, 2nd quarter 2009 | |
| Zebra striping: more data for the case | A List Apart | Web | Issue 267, 9 Sept 2008 |
| Zebra striping: does it really help? | A List Apart | Web | Issue 258, 9 May 2008 |
Career details
Formulate Information Design
Formulate Information Design officially opened its doors for business in October 2007. As a sole trader, drawing on sub-contractors as needed, Jessica is both the principal designer and owner of the business.
Formulate has a diverse range of clients. They come from all sectors—public, private and not-for-profit—and represent all sizes of organisation, from small business to large federal government departments. A broad selection of subject matter is also represented: from health care to education, from the arts to insurance.
Services provided include: form design, analysis and review; consulting and training on form design guidelines and best practice; and design of communication materials and data display.
The Hiser Group
The Hiser Group is Australia's oldest and most experienced user-centred design firm. Projects conducted by Hiser ranged from designing new websites to evaluating call centre system interfaces.
Working mostly independently, Jessica was tasked with evaluation and design of computer interfaces so that they would meet business and user goals. Some interfaces were forms and online applications, others were more general (i.e. websites). Projects ranged from one-week expert reviews to major engagements involving user needs analysis as well as design, and were conducted over several months. Most projects had considerable end-user involvement through interviews, field visits and usability testing.
Colmar Brunton Social Research
Colmar Brunton Social Research (CBSR) is a market research agency dedicated to government and not-for-profit sectors. Projects conducted by CBSR were varied: from developing and testing television advertisements to prevent child abuse to customer satisfaction surveys for the Commonwealth Government.
At CBSR, Jessica was responsible for designing, implementing, managing and reviewing numerous complex quantitative research projects. Tasks she performed included:
- questionnaire and forms design and testing;
- sample design and selection;
- statistical weighting and estimation;
- data analysis;
- reporting and presentation of results;
- proposal writing; and
- general project management.
Jessica was also charged with providing survey design advice; implementing a quality management system; organising and conducting training; and managing staff.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the Commonwealth Government's statistical agency. Within the ABS Jessica worked in the Methodology and Statistical Consulting units, which advised internal and external clients on survey design and analysis.
In the different positions Jessica held, she was responsible for:
- providing statistical advice to clients;
- managing projects and staff; and
- the design and delivery of training.