Whether your website has a job application form, a shopping cart/checkout process, or a simple newsletter signup, creating an effective form is crucial to getting your visitors to actually use it. Here, I’ll share some strategies and tactics I’ve learned to create effective web forms, without getting into any technical programming details.
The first thing you must acknowledge before adding a form to your website is that forms exist to benefit you, not the visitor.
It’s very easy for people to get caught up in the design of their website.
Most likely they have no design experience, and overthink every decision related to it. The truth is: If you’re not a designer, spending your energy trying to come up with a design is probably going to take forever, kill your motivation, and you’ll likely end up with something sub-par. So, if you can’t hire a designer, I’ll show you an easier method you can use to come up with appropriate design for your website.
You may be tempted to find a popular template that you can copy and adjust to fit your needs, but that’s not exactly the best way to stand out. Popular templates are, by definition, common, and that’s the last thing you want to be if you’re running a business. So if you’re not going to use a template, and certainly not going to come up with a brilliant design yourself, how else can you going to get a great design?
“Speed is the most important feature. If your application is slow, people won’t use it.” -Fred Wilson, 10 Golden Principles of Successful Web Apps
People hate waiting, and will go out of their way to avoid it.
It’s been trending this direction for years — people have coined this era “The Age of Instant Gratification.” Parents complain that “This generation has no patience anymore.”
It’s pretty obvious why: Technology has spoiled us. And not just the kids, but the adults, and their parents too.