What do you think are good aspects of a website’s user experience (UX)? The overall features of the site, time that is taken by the page to load, or navigating within the page? Most likely, all of it.
Now, web forms are also a part of user experience; the accessibility, ease of use, and convenience of the user are mainly kept in mind.
What is form UX?
Webform user experience is the designer focusing on the aspect of the visitor interacting with every part of the form. A UX form successfully ensures that it helps boost conversions. A UX form helps the users in the easy accessibility and ease of use.
Why is UX important?
A web form collects needed personal information from the user to make it easier for designers to connect with the users. This information collected from users includes email addresses and payment details for reference. What if the user has difficulties in filling out the form?
There are several criteria to be kept in mind while creating a UX form. This is important because it makes a good impression on the visitors about our website and to bring in more, and give them a positive experience.
The usability of the UX form is that users can reach out easily and finish the goals easier and faster. A user must be able to feel comfortable while filling out a web form and this should have easy access for all kinds of users.
A good UX means one which has good accessibility and usability. To keep in touch with a user a great UX is a must.
Guidelines for UX Form
1. Layout of the form
Everything, all information that is to be collected should be within a column. That means your form field layout is to put them in a single column and not make multiple columns and rows. This makes it easy for users who want to switch quickly as they can foresee what is asked. The important aspect of user experience(UX) is the ease of using it. Therefore, we use the simple single column.
2.Constraints must be provided
Think, suppose you are filling up a form for an online interview, and you have been questioned why you should be hired… You may have a very short explanation or a too-long one; it’s up to the user how they respond to it. To make it simpler, word limits should be provided to avoid unnecessary confusion among users.
3. Giving autofill and autocorrect options
Take the example of filling your country or state on a form; you might have noticed on most of the forms there will be autofill when you start typing your first letter of the country or state name.
Auto-fills even happen if you provide the same information asked on your previous forms of the browser, and autocorrect helps users in rectifying their errors even before they submit their forms, which would help them from further processing and redoing it.
If you take a situation where you are asked to fill in your phone number and you put it incorrectly, your number is autocorrected from your last filled forms. Both features greatly enhance UX (user experience) because they make it simpler and easier. This provides correct information and also saves time for the user from typing it each time.
4.Mobile-friendly design
People who use their PCs and laptops to browse have gradually decreased in numbers. After the evolution of this present technology where everything is on your smartphone or tablet, things must be made mobile-friendly to encourage more users and make it easier for them to fill out forms.
Without the feature enabling it for mobile phones, it can’t be run on those devices. Without a mobile-friendly setup, the conversation with the user cannot be boosted up. This can even bring you great loss if it isn’t set up; in this technological world a non-mobile-friendly UX form is such a great loss for the producers.
5.Inline field labels and error messages
Inline field labels help in showing the label neat and clean so that the user can easily locate it. They make it easy for the user to find which label belongs to which one, and it avoids the confusion of selecting the wrong boxes for wrong labels.
Inline error messages help users to correct mistakes at the time of filling the form, and avoid any future redoing processes. For example, if you’re typing an improper mail address or an improper password for a proper mail address, there is an inline error message notification that doesn’t allow you to submit the form without proper corrections made.
6. Showing which is required to be filled and which is optional
While filling out a web form you will definitely have optional labels and required labels. This makes it easier for the users to identify what’s important and what’s not. A small symbol on your label will make it easier for the user to know what’s required.
If these marks aren’t put up then users would have to submit and resubmit forms checking for the required ones. So, to make it simpler this should be followed.
7.Provide action buttons
Provide an action button indicating whether the user must fill out the next page of the form or submit it. You must provide them with proper information through your action buttons which helps them to move one further up along the process.
If you want to fill the next page of the multiform you must provide the users with a move- to-next action button and when it’s completed they must be provided with a submit-form action button.
8. Creation of multi-step forms if necessary
A multi-step form must be created in order to make it easier for the user to identify and fill it correctly, and with patience. A multi-step form provides 4 or more forms within a form and also adds shortcuts within the main form for easy navigation. Think you are filling up an online application; you will be asked for many details to be filled up like your academic qualifications, experience, interest, personal information, etc. You will see that while filling one you will be able to navigate through the form and go to the other.
Many shorter forms must be split up and should show their different parts on the top of the form for easier navigation of the user to get a good user experience.
9.To exclude fluffs
Fluffs are unwanted content that is there on a form. To give a great UX experience we must provide only what is needed excluding all unwanted content like images, wording, etc., making it easier for the user to fill the form without interruption of unwanted content being put up in-between and avoiding distractions.
To sum up,
A user-friendly web form must boost conversation with the user and ensure a positive experience. A user must think to come to you for more business and needs. Users should feel great while filling out the UX form and the guidelines must be followed to give a wonderful experience to the users. Start a positive interaction with your users now and give them a great experience of using it, boosting up the conversation. A UX form would solve every needed issue of the user and, in turn, makes it simpler for the user.