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09.27.07
Converting Visitors Through Errors & Form Fields
 By
Stoney deGeyter
Forms are one of your primary points of contacts with your visitors.
While many visitors still use email or even the telephone to contact you or to place an order, the vast majority will contact you first via your web forms. Forms that are broken or improperly implemented cause frustration and can greatly reduce your conversion rate for leads and sales.
It is up to your design and development team to test your site's web forms as thoroughly as possible in order to eliminate any errors. While no site can ever be 100% error-free, finding and fixing errors sooner, rather than later, is important to maintaining a usable website. When user and usability errors do occur -and they will- it is important to employ the right safeguards in order to ensure visitor satisfaction and reduce exit rates.
Data entry
Forms should provide flexible options when entering data such as phone numbers and credit card info. Don't be too rigid in the proper "format". Allow spaces, dashes, dots etc. to be accepted in these fields.
Field labels
Field labels should be clear and unambiguous. Do you want a first name, last name, full name or business name? Make sure your visitors know exactly what you're asking.
Information gathered
Do not request more information than is absolutely necessary. Request only the information you need to fulfill the request. Requiring too much information turns people away from contacting you altogether.
Minimize instruction
Keep form instructions at a minimum. People tend not to read instructions which can then cause frustration if they do something "improperly". Make it easy for them.
Provide choices
Providing options with radio buttons, selection boxes or drop downs are a good way to ensure you get the information you need while not requiring too much extra thought. But be careful. Using these can prevent visitors from providing the correct answer, if it's not an available option.
Required information
Note any field that requires a response with an asterisk (*), preferably colored red.
Continue reading this article.
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