Forms are one of the most important aspects of your website. They create pathways for users and businesses alike to reach their goals. A well-designed form can increase conversion rates and have a positive effect on your site’s overall usability.
Here’s a quick list of low-effort ways to optimize your form design:
Choose user-friendly, concise language
Wordy language creates visual clutter, making it difficult to quickly comprehend the objective of the form. Double-check that your copy is easy to understand at a glance.
Eliminate unnecessary fields
If you can eliminate extra fields, do it. Upon being presented with a form, users will quickly scan the fields to decide whether or not to fill it out. Let’s face it, we all like to take the quickest and easiest route when possible. A short form will often perform better than a long one, because it requires less effort and time.
Don’t worry about the extra data you’d like to collect but don’t necessarily need – you can always ask for more information later, after you collect the initial user data.
Provide necessary context and field requirements
Guiding your users along the way prevents frustration and form errors. If your form fields require certain formatting or requirements, make sure the rules are visible.
You can also use placeholder text that shows the correct formatting for fields such phone numbers or dates.
Don’t replace field labels with placeholder text
Placeholder text within a form field should never replace the field label itself. Utilize both (shown below), or only use a field label.
There are many reasons to avoid using placeholder text as a field label:
- It’s less noticeable and can be overlooked.
- It disappears when the user types. Users may forget the placeholder content, creating errors.
- It may not be ADA compliant, making it inaccessible for users with disabilities.
- Placeholder text alone is not accessible for assistive technologies, including screen readers
Stick to a one-column layout
Decrease clutter and improve scannability with a one-column layout. Exceptions apply to fields that naturally group together (e.g., city/state, birth day/month/year).
Create a descriptive and clear action button
The action button triggers form submission. Make it clear, actionable, and visually prominent:
- Use an actionable label that completes “I want to…” (e.g., “Sign Up,” “Enroll,” “Book Flight,” “Send Message”). Avoid generic labels like “Submit.”
- Make it stand out with high-contrast colors, clear typography, and consistent styling. If multiple buttons exist, highlight the primary action.
Provide clear feedback and validation
Error and validation messages are essential:
- Error messages should clearly explain what went wrong and how to fix it. Use visual indicators to draw attention.
- Include inline validation where possible: alert users immediately if data is entered incorrectly.
- Show a success message after submission to confirm completion. Without it, users may resubmit unnecessarily.
Improving Form Design for Accessible Form Usability
Improving your form design is a great way to increase conversion rates and usability. Good design increases your users’ satisfaction levels and helps your business meet its goals. If you would like to learn more about increasing form usability, or need help implementing such changes, get in touch with us!
