Are you caring about your web forms?
I came across this great article on Smashing Magazine from last November talking about web forms. The post is stuffed with great advice, but the following leapt out at me:
A form is a conversation, not an interrogation.
Order the labels logically, reflecting the natural flow of a conversation. For example, wouldn’t it be weird to ask someone their name only after having asked a number of other questions? More involved questions should come towards the end of the form.
It reminded me of the excellent signup form on Huffduffer. This signup process recognises that web forms should reflect the natural way we converse. Filling it in feels more like a conversation and less like a chore. It engages, while many forms just demand input. Websites and computers generally can be impersonal and cold. We need to work hard to counteract this tendency. Forms are one way we can do this.
Have you seen other forms with a friendly and conversational tone? If so share them in the comments.
