Brief history of online forms

The history of online forms dates back to the early days of the internet. In this article, we explore the evolution of online forms and how they have become a vital tool for collecting information and conducting transactions online.

 

 

The first online form is believed to have been created in the late 1970s by a group of computer scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The form was used to allow users to request access to MIT’s computer network and included fields for the user’s name, organisation and reason for access.

 

 

The first web form was created in 1993 by researchers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The form was used to allow users to search for documents and other resources on the NCSA website and included a single text field in which users could enter search queries.

 

 

In the early days of the web, online forms were primarily used for simple purposes such as search queries or contact forms. However, as the popularity of the web grew and the capabilities of browsers and web servers improved, online forms became more sophisticated and began to be used for a wider range of purposes.

 

An early example of a more complex online form was the Amazon.com shopping cart, introduced in 1995. The shopping cart allowed users to select and purchase items from Amazon’s online store and included fields for customer shipping and billing information, as well as a list of items ordered and total cost.

 

 

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, form builders began to emerge as a way to make it easier for users to create and manage forms online. Form builders were usually web-based tools that allowed users to drag and drop form fields onto a canvas, then customize the fields with various options and settings.

 

Form builders made it possible for anyone to create and publish forms online without the need for coding or technical skills. This democratisation of form building has contributed to the widespread adoption of online forms, making them a vital tool for businesses, organisations and individuals to collect information and conduct transactions online.

 

 

Today, online forms are used for a wide variety of purposes, including contact forms, registration forms, survey forms, order forms, request forms, feedback forms and application forms. They are used in many different fields, including business, education, health, public administration and non-profit organisations.

 

Online forms have evolved significantly in recent years with the development of new features and technologies such as responsive design, validation rules, security measures and integrations with other tools and platforms.

 

 

In conclusion, the history of online forms stretches back to the early days of the internet, and they have come a long way since the creation of the first online form at MIT in the late 1970s. Today, online forms are a vital tool for collecting information and conducting transactions online and are used by businesses, organisations and individuals around the world.