FORM DESIGN: BEST PRACTICES TO REDUCE ERRORS AND IMPROVE CONVERSIONS

Lauren Martinwww.sitemotif.com

Design Principles

Keep it Simple Avoid unnecessary text and inputs.

Focused Goal It should be easy to see what needs to be done

to complete the form. Be Clear

You never know the context of the user, make sure things are very clear and unambiguous.

Constantly Communicate Inform users about what’s going on when it

happens.

The basics of labels, errors and layout.

Login Forms

Clear, Obvious, Concise

Set proper expectations by letting the user know exactly what you are looking for.

Locate, Inform, Assist

Error messages should inform the user Where the error happened, What the error was, and How to correct it.

Clean, Focused, Apparent

Focus on the point. Provide users with a clear call to action and next steps.

Interface Surgery

Meetup.com

WordPress Blog Dashboard

Alignment and Orientation Examples From:Web Form Design by Luke Wroblewski

Layout Best Practices

Path to Completion

Minimize distractions by removing unnecessary elements

The scan line should have good visual spacing.

Provide a single path throughout the form

Top Aligned

Positives Cleaner scan line, means more rapid processing

and less effort Label and input field are adjacent Allows long labels Horizontal space for grouping related fields Studies show highest completion rates Good for familiar data

Negatives 2x Increased vertical space.

Top Aligned Labels

Right Aligned

Positives Close proximity between label and input

field Good for varied label widths 2x faster to complete as left aligned

labels Reduced vertical space

Negatives Left rag of labels makes scanning less

efficient

Right Aligned Labels

Left Aligned

Positives Easy to scan labels is good for unfamiliar data Reduced vertical space Good for forms with sensitive data where you want

users to slow down.

Negatives Label and corresponding field are not adjacent Long labels extend gaps between labels and

controls causing visual “jumps”

Left Aligned Labels

Buttons

56% of Submit buttons are left aligned with the form. While only 26% are right aligned and 17% centered.*

You do not need a cancel button. The user can navigate else where if they are not longer interested.

Secondary actions should be separated from the primary action. This can be done visually by making the secondary action a less prominent link.

The primary action should be to the left of the secondary action.

* Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/08/web-form-design-patterns-sign-up-forms-part-2/

Examples

1. Primary Button, Secondary Link

2. Primary Button, Secondary Button

3. Primary Action on Right

Redesign

Forms are crucial to businesses and stand between the user and the companies product or service.

Improve Conversions

How do you get to the form? You should have a clear call to action on

your homepage. Use very clear links and leads. “Sign Up”

is 2x more likely to catch your users eye over “Register”, “Join” and “Create Account”.

A signup link should be located in the top third of your page, preferably next to the login form.

What’s on the form?

Users really do care about what your asking them. For Example: Asking someone for their address is like

saying, I’m going to send you stuff. If they are not ordering a product, this may immediately turn them away.

Context also matters. If I am just signing up for a clothing site, you should not be asking for my credit card number. If I am trying to purchase an order, then the context would be correct for purchasing information.

Try to keep it between 3-8 mandatory fields. Less is better.

How is it organized?

Every form should have a name and a clear purpose

Always chunk information into logical groups Each chunk should have a clear title summarizing

the questions in that section Try to avoid multi-page forms. However, if used

always make it clear how many steps are involved and how far the user has gotten.

Use subtle visual cues like dividers to help group related content

Bold form labels for easier scanning.

How are you helping them?

Provide hints and tool tips with additional information

Use examples of expected and allowed input Use tip icons with rollovers and panels for

explanations to the right of the input fields. Use one line liner examples and info directly

below input fields. Highlight fields with errors, and display error

messages in line or at the top of the screen. Allow tabbing through the form and all controls.

Improve your conversions.

Metrics should be used to measure completion rates, times, and issues.

Create multiple versions and do A to B testing to see which forms result in the highest conversion rates.

Online Reading…

Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/0

4/web-form-design-patterns-sign-up-forms/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/07/0

8/web-form-design-patterns-sign-up-forms-part-2/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/tag/forms/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/04/1

7/web-form-design-modern-solutions-and-creative-ideas/

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/07/web-form-validation-best-practices-and-tutorials/

Luke Wroblewski: http://www.lukew.com/resources/articles/web_f

orms.htmlCaroline Jarrett: http://www.formsthatwork.com/

Off Line Reading…

Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability

By: Caroline Jarrett

$44.95 on Amazon

Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks 

By: Luke Wroblewski

$36 on Rosenfeld Media