MuseComm

Explore UX best practices that affect conversion.

Form design in UX influences one of the most important interactions with the user – driving leads for your campaign, getting enquiries for your product/service, and much more. Here are 6 best practices that can help you create forms that convert.

1 Placeholders cannot substitute labels

Labels describe the form field while placeholders provide hints, instructions or examples for more clarity
Placeholder text disappears when the user begins typing, which may create doubts unless the label is present
The font color should not be too light (user may miss it), nor too dark (can be confused with the text input)

2 Shorter labels are more user-friendly

55% of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a website
Make forms easier to scan and also mobile-compatible

3 Grouping fields results in better UX

Simplify the form filling activity by bringing related fields together
Gives a logical, step-wise approach with details requested in bite-sized chunks

4 Remove non-value-add fields

Long forms can feel effortful and cause users to abandon the process
Check if there are other sources to get the secondary data, such as analytics

5 Reduce or optimize redundant actions

If you have less than 6 options in your drop-down menus, try to use radio buttons
Implement search functionality in the drop-down, for large number of options

6 Keep validation clear and conversational

Avoid negative words; tell the user what happened and how to fix it
In case of fields with a specific format, show it upfront in the label

Our
handpicked quote

Usability is about people and how they understand and use things, not about technology.

Steve Krug

UX Consultant

For strategic web design and development following established principles, click here.

6 things to consider while designing forms