Formstelling

Formstelling is a Dutch term referring to the process of form creation and standardization in administrative and organizational contexts. It denotes the activities involved in determining what data a form should collect, how the fields are arranged and worded, and the rules governing filling out, validating, and submitting the form. The aim is to enable consistent data capture, ensure compliance with policy and privacy requirements, and facilitate integration with information systems.

In practice, formstelling encompasses input from stakeholders, legal and privacy considerations, usability and accessibility testing, versioning, translations, and alignment with the workflows for data storage and processing. It is closely related to form design but tends to emphasize organizational and procedural aspects rather than purely the user interface.

The term is relatively rare as a standalone label in everyday speech and is more often found in bureaucratic or historical texts. In contemporary usage, people more commonly speak of "het opstellen van formulieren" (drafting forms) or "formulierontwerp" (form design). Some writers use formstelling to refer to the overall life cycle of a form, from specification to archiving, even though these nuances are not always universally observed.

Related terms include formulier (form), formulierontwerp (form design), and formulierenbeheer (form management). Understanding formstelling can help professionals who design, implement, or manage standardized data collection in government, research, or corporate settings.