The Need

Electronic forms were developed to eliminate waste and physical storage space necessary for paper forms. However, electronic form submission on devices with small screens, such as cell phones and tablets, is an irritating and time-consuming process, fraught with error-correcting, re-sizing, and multiple-tap steps. There is a demand for a way to cut time and frustration when filling out electronic forms.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Arnab Nandi, have developed an electronic form submission application that uses complex optimization algorithms to automatically transform cluttered, user-unfriendly electronic forms into an easy-to-use format called Transformer. Transformer takes a combination of factors into account to efficiently adapt each input field to render correctly within the dimensions of the given device. Some of these factors include the type information in the field and the devices dimensions. Transformer splits the page(s) at logical points to minimize the scrolling and panning. This technology can be directly applicable to tech companies that want to create a more seamless and clean experience for users on mobile devices.

Commercial Applications

• Electronics
• Mobile phones
• Data collection

Benefits/ Advantages

• More precision in responses
• Reduce user time by 50%
• Potential to integrate with any mobile device