UX-UI: How to design better forms

Common mistakes designers make and how to fix them

by Silvia Mazzetta Date: 02-05-2020 ux ui design forms

Whether it is a signup flow, a multi-view stepper, or a monotonous data entry interface, forms are one of the most important components of digital product design. This article focuses on the common dos and don’ts of form design. Keep in mind that these are general guideline and there are exceptions to every rule.


Forms should be one column

Multiple columns disrupt a users vertical momentum.


Top align labels

Users complete top aligned labeled forms at a much higher rate than left aligned labels. Top aligned labels also translate well on mobile. However, consider using left aligned labels for large data-set entry with variable optionality because they are easier to scan together, they reduce height, and prompt more consideration than top aligned labels.


Group labels with their inputs

Present the label and input close together, and make sure there is enough height between the fields so users don’t get confused.


Avoid all caps

All caps is more difficult to read and scan.


Show all selection options if under 6

Placing options in a selector drop-down requires two clicks, and hides the options. Use an input selector if there are over 5 options. Incorporate contextual search within the drop-down if there are over 25 options.


Resist using placeholder text as labels

It is tempting to optimize space by using placeholder text as labels. This causes many usability issues that have been summarized by Katie Sherwin of Nielsen Norman Group.


Place checkboxes (and radios) underneath each other for scannability

Placing checkboxes underneath each other allows easy scanning.


Make CTAs descriptive

A call to action should state the intent.


Specify errors inline

Show the user where the error occurred and provide a reason.


Use inline validation after the user fills out the field (unless it helps them while in the process)

Don’t use inline validation while the user is typing — unless it helps them — like in the case of creating a password, username, or message with a character count.


Don’t hide basic helper text

Expose basic helper text wherever possible. For complex helper text, consider placing it next to the input during its focused state.


Differentiate primary from secondary actions

There is a bigger philosophical debate regarding whether a secondary option should even be included.


Use field length as an affordance

The length of the field affords the length the answer. Employ this for fields that have a defined character count like phone numbers, zip codes, etc.


Ditch the * and denote optional fields

Users don’t always know what is implied by the required field marker (*). Instead, it is better to denote optional fields.


Group related information

Users think in batches, and long forms can feel overwhelming. By creating logical groups the user will make sense of the form much faster.


Why ask?

Omit optional fields and think of other ways to collect data. Always ask yourself if the question can be inferred, postponed, or completely excluded.

Data entry is increasingly automated. For example, mobile and wearable devices collect large amounts of data without the user’s conscious awareness. Think of ways you can leverage social, conversational UI, SMS, email, voice, OCR, location, fingerprint, biometric, etc.


Make it fun

Life is short. No one wants to fill out a form. Be conversational. Be funny. Gradually engage. Do the unexpected. It is the role of the designer to express their company’s brand to elicit an emotional reaction. If done correctly, it will increase completion rates. Just make sure you don’t violate the rules listed above.

Design vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com
 
by Silvia Mazzetta Date: 02-05-2020 ux ui design forms hits : 7712  
 
Silvia Mazzetta

Silvia Mazzetta

Web Developer, Blogger, Creative Thinker, Social media enthusiast, Italian expat in Spain, mom of little 9 years old geek, founder of  @manoweb. A strong conceptual and creative thinker who has a keen interest in all things relate to the Internet. A technically savvy web developer, who has multiple  years of website design expertise behind her.  She turns conceptual ideas into highly creative visual digital products. 

 
 
 

Related Posts

Alternative tools for graphic design

There are many people today who only use the following for design purposes Canva as it is a really popular software and website and there is no denying that it…

How to make your own custom cursor for your website

When I started browsing different and original websites to learn from them, one of the first things that caught my attention was that some of them had their own cursors,…

Open source web design tools alternatives

There are many prototyping tools, user interface design tools or vector graphics applications. But most of them are paid or closed source. So here I will show you several open…

Use the SRCSET attribute to improve your SEO

There is a new standard HTML attribute that can be used in conjunction with IMG called SRCSET. It is new and important as it allows webmasters to display different images…

How to improve customer experience through speech recognition

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is essential to a successful customer experience (CX) programme. However, VoC data is often disparate, making it difficult to use. Service organisations looking to make…

How To Use Varnish As A Highly Available Load Balancer On Ubuntu 20.04 With SSL

Load balancing with high availability can be tough to set up. Fortunately, Varnish HTTP Cache server provides a dead simple highly available load balancer that will also work as a…

Top tools for UX design and research

This article is a compilation of the "ux tools" I have tested in recent years. I've separated the tools by categories, although I recommend you to take a look at all…

Graphic design and its impact on Web Development

In today's article we will explain the concept of graphic design, its fundamentals and what it brings into web development. Graphic design is applied to everything visual, believe or not,…

The best free tools for linkbuilding

Linkbuilding is one of the main factors in improving the SEO positioning of a page. Having a profile of inbound links from pages with great authority can mean the difference…

Cross cultural challenges in web design, an overview

The user experience design of a product essentially lies between the intentions of the product and the characteristics of your user. - David Kadavy - The task of building a culturally appropriate…

The easiest way to align items using flexbox

With the release of flexbox in CSS, it has become an essential tool when placing elements next to each other, since, by default, the children of a display: flexare stacked…

How To Add Filter Effects to Images with CSS

To achieve interesting effects on your images, learn about the 'filter' and 'Backdrop-Filter' properties of CSS. CSS filters are a very attractive feature of CSS that allows you to apply certain…

Clicky