Design tips to help you create professional and functional forms
How to Design Forms Tip 1: Provide instruction
Provide clear and concise questions on your forms to let form fillers know what they need to fill in. Similarly, if you want your forms completed in capitals and black ink, and returned by a specific date, let form fillers know.
Provide a check list at the start or end of your forms to help ensure form fillers do everything you request.
How to Design Forms Tip 2: Maintain identity
Design your forms so they match or compliment the look of other business documents. Include a company logo, and your corporate colours and fonts.
How to Design Forms Tip 3: Divide and conquer
Position related information in its own section to help form fillers navigate your forms more easily.
Example: Incorporate name, address and telephone number fields within a Contact Details or Personal Details section.
How to Design Forms Tip 4: Keep it short
Form fillers are more likely to complete your forms if the amount of information requested is kept to a minimum. Similarly, minimal fields and concise questions are also likely to improve response rates.
Despite this, never make your forms so minimal that form fillers are left wondering what to do.
How to Design Forms Tip 5: Consider space
Leave adequate space for form fillers to complete your forms.
Example: Don’t expect a form filler to tell you their life story if all you leave is enough space to accommodate a sentence or two.
Similarly, don't waste space on a page by leaving too much room for questions that require minimal response.
Example: Don't leave a whole line for a date of birth.
How to Design Forms Tip 6: Number content
For complex and multi-page forms consider numbering questions and fields. This will help form fillers keep track of their progress, and will allow you to quickly find and extract the information you require.
