Designing Online Signup Forms…
Few areas of website design are as interactive as signup forms, and when done right these can be a powerful way of gaining email subscribers, account holders, leads and customers for your business. To help you get the most out of your online forms, here are five simple things to bear in mind during the design process.
1 – An attractive call to action
In a world of multiple screens and constant digital bombardment, people’s time is short, so before they spend a few minutes filling in your form, you need to convince them to do so. Including a concise call to action just before the main body of the sign up form will enable you to pitch what you have to offer and tell visitors what they will gain by signing up.
2 – Brevity
Continuing with the theme of time, your signup form should also be relatively short. The entire process should preferably take less than a minute, and it’s important to remember that lengthy forms with lots of fields to fill in can be a turn-off. If you have an assortment of ‘optional’ fields then think long and hard about whether these are actually necessary.
3 – Simple error messages
Another thing that can lead to premature termination of the signup process is frustration. Make sure that if a user makes an error when filling in the form that prevents its completion, that they are then told immediately what the problem is and how to rectify it.
4 – Transparency and clarity
Many people are reluctant to share information online, and in order to convince them otherwise you will need to convince them that you can be trusted. You can do this by stating explicitly what you will and will not do with their personal information. It’s also important to make it clear what communications they will receive from you once they sign up.
5 – A touch of personality
Don’t be afraid to let your colours shine through on your signup form – doing so can help reassure people that they’re dealing with a business run by actual people, rather than a soulless data guzzling computer.
