The availability of online forms for local government functions is transformative.
Nobody wants to collect forms from city hall that they have to fill out by hand just so they can get a burn permit, reserve a conference room, or sign up for a class at the recreation center. While it’s fine to have some paper forms on hand for the ever-shrinking portion of the population that doesn’t use the internet, having a range of local government forms online and mobile-friendly can save time, money, and the hassle of correcting mistakes.
And while online forms are good, mobile-friendly online government forms are better for many reasons. Here’s why…
Consider Residents from All Economic Backgrounds
Most cities, whatever their size, have residents from every socioeconomic background. Not everyone has home internet service, but most people have smartphones. As of this year, around 45 million internet users in the US go online solely through mobile devices – that’s around 16% of internet users. And that figure is expected to rise to nearly 19% by the year 2022.
By creating online government forms that are difficult or impossible to use online, you could be denying access to a significant portion of your citizenry. And even among people who have home internet service and access to a desktop environment, using mobile is second nature much of the time.
Mobile-Friendly Features Benefit Almost All Online Forms
When you create online forms that are mobile-friendly, you inherently make the forms easier to use by minimizing the amount of typing required by the form user and by keeping forms as brief as possible. It’s smart to use a “mobile-first” philosophy when designing your online forms, because the people who end up using the forms in a desktop environment will appreciate these time- and effort-saving features too.
Mobile-friendly and mobile-first designs for local government forms force you to really consider what information you must collect, and the best way to collect it. And by minimizing user typing through drop-down menus, radio buttons, and other tap-friendly mechanisms, you cut down on the number of mistakes on completed forms.
Forms for Local Government Employees Should be Mobile-Friendly Too
Making online forms for local government employees mobile-friendly is another smart move. One of your city park rangers could, for example, discover a dangerous tree branch on a greenway and report it then and there so a crew can be dispatched right away to take care of it. Someone on a public works truck may notice that a resident’s trash bin has a broken lid and report it immediately so it isn’t forgotten. A police officer may notice a potential codes violation and report it so the planning department can check it out right away.
Choosing form software that makes mobile-friendliness easy is the key to making local government online forms work as effectively and efficiently as possible. PerfectApps is online workflow and form software with a user-friendly interface that allows form creators to simply drag and drop form elements into place. It also makes it easy to customize forms with colors, fonts, and graphics that assure users they are using the correct form. And because there is no programming required, PerfectApps is extremely cost-effective for organizations that must monitor spending closely.
Mobile-friendly forms offer far greater efficiency, as well as better accuracy and reach, and help make public services more accessible to everyone. Did you know you can try PerfectApps for free? Sign up for a free trial and discover for yourself how the right online form software can power more efficient and effective operations.
