Cursor Movement Direction in 2 Column Form

PHPMaker General Discussion (PHPMaker)
1

Dear Web Developers,

In the Two Column Form, we as developers sometimes get confused, which way should be implemented to move the cursor pointer from one field to next field, when end-user is pressing Tab or Enter key.

Let’s say we have 2 column form in Add page, where in the first column there are 3 fields (A, B, and C), and in the second column there are 2 fields (D and E).

Here is the form layout:

Field A … Field D
Field B … Field E
Field C

Which one you would prefer from the following two options? And please give your reason why you choose it.

  1. A → D → B → E → C.
  2. A → B → C → D → E.

Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks.

2

From user experience (mine and from others):
If the columns are clearly identifiable as such, eg by colored boxes, frames, etc, it should be option 2 (A → B → C → D → E).
If the columns are just a layout grid without inner borders, it should be option 1 (A → D → B → E → C).

3

Thanks for the feedback, it does make sense.