Forms that don’t frustrate: the essentials of great form design
Forms have always and continue to be, an essential practice in UX, CRO, and website development as a whole. Whether signing up for a service, making a purchase, or submitting an inquiry, forms act as the bridge between users and your product. It is often the principal way of kickstarting a potential lead, obtaining qualifying user data to better target them with relevant content and information, as well as further sales efforts. However, it is important to remember that forms must also serve to benefit the user. They can be the first port of call when a user requires information, help, demos, or simply to speak with a representative.
Get this exchange wrong and it might become a fatal barrier.
However, taking a considered approach to your form design, and ensuring that you account for frequent UX pitfalls, you can guarantee that your on-site forms are performing well and driving lead generation, whilst also providing value to the end-user.
Reduce cognitive load
A common bugbear amongst users.
My advice? Keep forms as simple and concise as possible. Ask only for the information you genuinely need. Every additional field increases the cognitive load, making users more likely to abandon the process. So, group related fields together and use clear labels to provide context.
If you need extra information, consider progressive disclosure: that is, only showing additional fields when necessary.
Use smart defaults
Smart defaults can greatly assist users to fill out forms. For example:
- Auto-detect the user’s location for country fields.
- Pre-fill a returning user’s data when they’re logged in.
- Predictive fills when inputting things like address, etc.
This not only saves time but also creates a sense of personalisation.
Minimise required fields
Mark required fields clearly. Overloading users with “mandatory” fields creates frustration and increases the risk of user abandonment.
A well-designed form with fewer required fields often yields higher completion rates. Another option is to indicate optional fields in place of required ones to make the form appear less demanding.
Provide inline validation
There’s nothing worse than filling out a long form, only to encounter an error message after submitting it. Inline validation – providing real-time feedback – allows users to correct mistakes as they go, reducing frustration.
For instance, you could flag invalid email addresses immediately or notify users if their password doesn’t meet requirements while they’re typing.
Design for accessibility
Forms must be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Ensure proper field labels, logical tabbing order, and compatibility with screen readers. Use sufficient colour contrast for error messages and other visual cues to aid a user’s experience.
Provide clear feedback
Once a user completes the form, offer a clear confirmation message. Let them know their submission was successful and what the next steps will be.
Optimise for mobile
With so many users accessing forms on their phones, mobile optimisation is essential. Use large, tappable buttons, responsive layouts, and design features like dropdowns to ensure the UI is easy to use.
By reducing cognitive load, leveraging smart defaults, and optimising for accessibility and mobile, you can transform forms from a pain point into a delightful experience.
After all, when forms work well, they’re practically invisible – and that’s exactly the point.
Make sure to read the previous article in the Brilliant Basics series here. If you’d like to ask me any questions, please get in touch using our contact form. Stay tuned for the next article.
