Building Successful Web Forms, Part 1
Web forms play a key role for visitor (and customer) interaction on many sites. However, many web designers don't realize that there may be huge differences in form abandonment ratio, depending on how well the form is designed. In this post and follow ups, we'll give you some tips to help you make your web forms an effective communication channel.
Always provide form filling instructions.
Don't assume that all of your visitors will understand how to submit a form without further explanation. Short and clear form filling instructions can reduce form abandonment, and increase the quality of the information collected.- include a call to action phrase like "Please fill out this form to contact XYZ"
- indicate the purpose of the form and the recipient of the information collected
- if applicable, confirm that you will reply, and give an indication of the time frame
Select the correct data type for each input field.
Because of necessary form validation, choosing and incorrect data type may prevent a form user from submitting valid information. When this happens, it is likely to lead to form abandonment.For example, if you specify that a form field can only contain a Number, it may not work for a phone number. 1233456789 will work, but not 123-345-6789. So use the Phone type instead. In many cases, the form builder will pre-select a type for you, but not always. Read more about selecting an input field data type in the form builder documentation.
Choose the most appropriate input field widget.
Don't restrict yourself to text boxes and drop-down lists. Take advantage of the full range of HTML form fields with radio buttons and checkboxes. Learn when to use each one.Using a drop-down list for a yes/no question will slow down the form user, and increase the chances (s)he gives up. Use radio buttons instead. Read tips about choosing the best input field widget in the form builder documentation.
Brand your forms for instant visual recognition.
Always brand your web forms with your own logo. This helps visitors recognize at first sight who they are about to send information to.Posted on Tuesday, 06 May, 2008 at 18:21 in html-form
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Tags: web-forms, form-builder, howto
New Web Form Creator Demo Video Available
We've added a new demonstration video to help new FormSmarts users get started. The video is on YouTube, and a higher quality version is available for download form the Internet Archive.Posted on Tuesday, 25 March, 2008 at 17:15 in form-builder
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Tags: video, form-builder, html-form, howto
Tips for Web Form Users with Non-English Language Websites
Many users in non-English speaking countries now use FormSmarts, so we thought we would post a few recommendations for them.
When building your forms with the form creator, use the text data type for any fields that may contain non-English characters, such as the accented characters found in many European languages.
Note that non-European languages like Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian are not supported at this time.
As you know, FormSmarts form handler is not a simple form to email processor script like FormMail. Each and every web form submission is analyzed in real time, and the user may be asked to complete a challenge if we suspect a form spam attempt. Although anyone capable of reading elementary English should be able to understand what is expected from him/her in that context, this is something you may have to take into account when designing your web forms. You could for example warn users in the form filling instructions.
If you need help, we provide limited support in French, German, and Chinese (as well as English, of course.) You can write us in any of those languages, but we will only reply in English.
Posted on Tuesday, 11 March, 2008 at 10:45 in form-handler
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Tags: howto, web-forms, form-builder
Choosing a Good Web Form Title
Most visitors will notice that they are submitting a form not from your website, but from FormSmarts.com. For users to be confident they are sending information to the right person, include your name or website name in the form title.For example, “Contact Edgar Poe” is a more informative and useful title than “Contact Form”.
Posted on Thursday, 06 December, 2007 at 08:02 in form-builder
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Tags: web-forms, usability, howto
Adding Form Filling Instructions to Your Web Forms
You can now specify Form Filling Instructions for your web forms. Although this field is optional, we encourage you to make use of it. It will help your visitors complete the form more efficiently, and also help you build trust with them. Here are some information you may want to place in the Form Filling Instructions.Remind users of the purpose of the form to avoid people submitting the wrong form.
Precise the intended content of particular fields. This will help your visitors complete the form accurately and efficiently.
State for which purposes you will use the data submitted, and whether the data will be shared with a third party. This is particularly important if you collect email addresses and other personally identifying information. People are often concerned about their privacy when submitting forms, so having a clear privacy policy will help build trust with your users.
Include the name of your website, so visitors can be confident they are contacting the right person or organization.
Whenever relevant, give an estimated response time, e.g. “we normally reply within 2 working days”.
Posted on Thursday, 06 December, 2007 at 07:56 in form-builder
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Tags: usability, web-forms, privacy, howto
