A presentation at World IA Day Chicago in in Chicago, IL, USA by Carly Ho
What’s in a name (validation)? @carlymho
I’m Carly Ho » Senior Engineer @ Clique Studios » carlymho.com » @carlymho @carlymho
! let’s talk about names @carlymho
What’s your name? » Names are pretty important across cultural borders » They’re one of the first pieces of info we ask for in conversation » They’re one of the first pieces we ask for in account creation » Having someone else mangle your name can range from mildly annoying to genuinely hurtful @carlymho
What’s in a name? @carlymho
Some assumptions about names » Everyone has one first name and one last name. » Everyone has one first name and two last names! » A name has a minimum of three characters. » A given name comes first, and a family name comes last. @carlymho
Some assumptions about names » Names are composed of letters. » Names are composed of letters from the Latin alphabet, or can be losslessly translated into letters from the Latin alphabet. » Names don’t change, or only change at a few very specific points in time. » Everyone has one canonical full name. @carlymho
These are all wrong. @carlymho
What is a name? @carlymho
The form of a name is different almost everywhere. @carlymho
Some naming conventions » First name, middle name, last name inherited from father. » First name, middle name, one last name from each parent. » One name at home, a “visitor name” for travel. » Family name, given name. » One name for the family tree, one for your first year, one for school, one for work. @carlymho
In the USA, we often assume western european norms. @carlymho
Some things get lost in a melting pot: » Immigrants frequently changed their names to assimilate » (And still do.) » People with “weird” names get marked as perpetual foreigners. » “Where are you from?” @carlymho
There’s no surefire way to validate names. @carlymho
Inclusive form design considerations @carlymho
What do you need the name for on a form for a(n)… » Email newsletter? » Online shopping cart? » Account registration? » Online voter registration? @carlymho
Email newsletter » Technically, you don’t need a name here » You might want to personalize/customize content » In that case, you probably want someone’s given/ first name » One box; ask how they’d like to be addressed @carlymho
Online shopping cart » Shipping and billing information » Names for shipping label, billing method » Some people have middle names on their credit card! » One field for each name: “Recipient” and “Name on card” @carlymho
Account Registration » Will a username or email address suffice? » Make it possible to change names (and usernames, and emails) » Let users know if a chosen name will be publicfacing » (Safety first!) @carlymho
Account Registration » Context is key: ask for the forms of address you’ll be using » Don’t ask for data you don’t need - everyone has a security breach eventually @carlymho
Online Voter Registration » This is tied to a legal name on a form of ID » Only need to be concerned with local name formats » High importance, so provide adequate instructions @carlymho
The key considerations @carlymho
Do you need their name? @carlymho
Why do you need their name? @carlymho
What part of the name do you need? @carlymho
How can you help the user help you? @carlymho
How will you account for a wide variety of names? @carlymho
Compassionate Validation @carlymho
Good intentions, bad systems » Old, hard-coded systems » Government systems » Stakeholder requirements handed down from on high @carlymho
Be honest @carlymho
Sanitize your inputs!! @carlymho
It’s us, not you @carlymho
Work to improve @carlymho
Inclusive forms are good for everyone » People who feel welcomed by a service are more likely to engage with it » Inclusive name validation means you can reach a wider variety of people » It’s a small but impactful way to make the world easier to live in » Why not make people feel welcome? @carlymho
Resources & Further Reading » “Regular Expression for Validating Names and Surnames,” stackoverflow » “Your Last Name Contains Invalid Characters,” John Graham-Cumming » “Representing People’s Names in Dublin Core,” Andrew Waugh @carlymho
Resources & Further Reading » “Wookey - is that it?” Wookey » “Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names,” Patrick McKenzie @carlymho
Names are generally one of the first things we ask for and one of the first things we offer in conversation as part of getting to know someone.
Names are also a pretty personal thing. It’s one thing to dislike your own name for your own reasons, but having someone else mangle your name can range from annoying to genuinely hurtful. So, it’s important to think about how we validate names as we work to create more inclusive technology.
for free. You
can too.