eCommerce websites and shopping portals are visited by millions of visitors daily. Not all of them visit shopping portals to buy a product, but virtually all of them are potential buyers. That’s why the management of these websites must continuously look for ways to help the visitors in finding their required information. Forms are one way for visitors to get their required information about any product or contact the management of the website for any query.

A webform also contributes to the overall user experience of a website as well as a way to get the input from visitors who all are potential customers. Perfecting the user experience, including forms, is one way to get the most out of a portal, which is specifically designed to get the attention of the users. Hence the designing of a form is also important so that the interest of the user is maintained throughout the process of filling it.

No prizes for guessing that complicated and frustrating web forms cause a negative experience and can make a visitor abort the process of filling it. The following are the five components of a form that constitute it.

1. Structure
2. Input Fields
3. Field labels
4. Action button
5. Feedback

The above five components are vital for any form so that it can fulfill its purpose. For example, a proper structure of a form is the basis of how the visitor will look at and can go through a form without trying to understand a section or field.

Related Read: 25 Must-Have Web Design Software and Tools for Businesses

5 Tips for a Free-Flowing and Self-Explanatory Form

Take a look at the following design tips for the best results.

1. Autofill

Filling out long forms can be tedious, to say the least. Think of an average visitor who has to fill several forms, again and again, just to get the information he requires. Autofill can save a lot of time for such visitors who will love this idea and would increase your chances of getting more leads.

You can save user information through cookies and use it the next time they visit the forms so that they can quickly autocomplete it.

2. Error Message that Works

What do you need to do in case a user incorrectly fills a field or enters their phone number in the name field? To display a helpful error message along with a cute little graphic pointing out the error can go a long way in making any visitor completing the form without any difficulty or committing further mistakes.

3. Refrain from using Generic Words

The word “Submit” or “Click Here” is prevalent and is like a cliché. Visitors on most of the websites see words like these for several years now. Instead, words like “Join the Family,” “Welcome Aboard,” or “Get the Newsletter” have a much better impact on a person filling out a long-form. Getting a personalized message like his name, followed by “Welcome Aboard,” will have a better impact.

Also, words like “Subscribe” have a better impact, unlike “Submit.” So, choose your words wisely for a better impact. The form is an excellent way to increase your subscriber list but mention this when you are asking for the email address of the visitor.

4. Too Many Fields and Questions

A simple form with limited fields and questions is what businesses need. While there are some forms like filling out a bank account form, which requires a ton of information, for most of the other forms, minimal fields must be present. Also, the number of questions can make the design of a form look very long. Omit extra information wherever possible like a phone number in case of a random inquiry and

Where possible, it’s also helpful to show the user how far along they are in completing your form using a progress bar. Or use asterisks to show which questions are required and which ones aren’t so users can skip the fields they don’t want to fill in.

5. Thankyou Page

After the user has entered all the information through a form, suddenly the whole page disappears, and the user sees a blank page or just the word “submitted” or anything similar to it. But is it enough? Even common sense says there must be something else and from the design’s point of view as it leaves much to be desired. A thank you page is the logical answer to this.

The design of the thank you page with a customized message can make a person satisfied that whatever he has filled in the form has been submitted. A message starting with the name and some information, like the city’s name, can be a great way to say thank you to a person who has spent his precious time filling out a form for your website.

Related Read: The Ultimate Ecommerce Website Design Checklist for Small Businesses

Final Word

That’s all I got for this topic. I hope you will be able to come up with a fun and functional form of your own. You don’t need to hire dozens of designers for this. Even a startup or a small design firm can offer you good support in this regard. Forms must be in working order so that you don’t have to face the embarrassment by having error messages.

If you want to know more about anything mentioned in this blog or wish to offer your valuable feedback, you are welcome. Please use the comments section below for all the comments or ask a question.